Intuition is generally understood to be the power of the unconscious, gut instinct, direct insight, a form of unconscious knowledge, or a flash of inspiration. Intuitive thinking is currently receiving a great deal of attention in various social sectors and scientific disciplines. In spite of recent discoveries in the natural sciences, along with experiences as to how one can put intuition to practical use, it is nonetheless still not totally clear how intuition actually works. The exhibition into it investigates—also against the background of the recourse to concepts of modernism undertaken by many contemporary artists—the current significance of intuition in contemporary art. The point of departure is the conviction that today intuition can no longer be understood as an independent, purely subjective, self-reflective, metaphysical act of cognition, but that it always occurs on the basis of rational concepts and knowledge. The exhibition presents works which focus on modes of intellectual intuition, direct cognition, the process of artistic insight, and decision-making, but also on their transformation in the course of art history and through the influence of the media. In this endeavor, the artists also reflect the intuitive perspective of the viewer. Both the exhibition and the accompanying conference inquire into the contemporaneity and relevance of intuition in art and society. Accompanying the exhibition will be a catalogue which provides a concluding documentation and summary, not only of the exhibition, but also of the presentations made during the conference.

Curator: Thomas Thiel

Opening: November 23, 2007, 7 pm

The exhibition is kindly supported by funds from the State of Lower Saxony, from the City of Hildesheim, and from Pro Helvetia.