Petra Aaltola, Dylan Ray Arnold, Océane Bruel, Tatu Engeström, Miklos Gaál, Liisa Karintaus, Arvid Staaf

LASCAUX

“There seems to be a visual convention that existed well before Baywatch,” – Werner Herzog

Curated by Joonas Pulkkinen

8–27 August 2025

Opening hours: Wednesday–Friday, 12 AM – 6 PM; Saturday–Sunday, 12 PM – 4 PM

Vernissage: Thursday 7 August, 6 PM – 9 PM

SUOMEKSI

Exhibition Poster by Akseli Manner

What is the origin of art? Does it have any relevance to contemporary art? Why did Stone Age people create art in caves what they did not inhabit? Was this really the origin of art? Did Homo Erectus make art? Did Neanderthals have an idea of ​​art or did dinosaurs have a communal life comparable to art?

*

The cave paintings of Lascaux discovered in 1940 – and the Chauvet Cave in Ardèche – unsealed by a rockfall in 1994 – have long intrigued researchers and people from various fields with the questions they raise about Stone Age man. These ancient sites raise profound questions about early human life and imagination. They not only tell us about the life and living conditions of early humans, but were also the first art galleries. The caves take into account the characteristics of the walls of the cave and people used fire for a technique of representing the art.

Following philosopher Walter Benjamin, the origin of art lies in its cult value – in ritual and ceremony that merged the communal with the personal. Before art became an object, it was an event. The cult value in its essential characters, ritualism and ability to gather people, has a more orginal origin than the object-like nature of art.

Georges Bataille, in turn, connects the Lascaux paintings to eroticism – an elemental and transgressive force. The recurring Venus and phallic motifs and objects found throughout Stone Age sites support this idea, yet these works are not simply “primitive.” They engage with nature, with mortality, and with the social function of viewing. Even in the Paleolithic period, humans gathered to experience and reflect on art and develop practices for presenting art. The Lascaux exhibition is a tribute by seven contemporary artists to the original miracle of art, “rock art”, and to the similarities and differences between art and life.

“Let’s rock!” – Fred Flintstone

The exhibition includes public talks and events. A detailed schedule will be announced soon.

Opening event: Thursday, 7 August 2025 Closing event: Wednesday, 27 August 2025

The exhibition is supported by Saastamoinen Foundation