What's On...

Homo faber: the constructed world explores the Horsham Regional Art Gallery collection through the eyes of artist, Paul Blackman.

After being set loose in the Gallery’s collection store, Blackman has selected a number of works that resonate with his own practice and create a dialogue between his work and the Gallery’s collection.

Presented alongside Blackman’s solo exhibition: the difference between here and there, this collection display includes photography, painting, sculpture and drawing. Blackman is captivated by the world we have built and made. Modernism taught us that a thing’s function dictates its form. Often, even the seemingly mundane or overlooked everyday object can embody a kind of beauty, exuding reverence through its shapes, forms and geometry.

Homo faber, a Latin phrase meaning man the maker, was used by philosopher Hannah Arendt to describe human labour and the creation of the artificial world. Henri Bergson similarly applied the term to explain how human intelligence is moulded by tool-making and manipulating matter. These philosophical insights offer a broad perspective through which both Blackman’s own work and the selected artworks on display can be interpreted.

Organised by Horsham Rural City Council