From 18 June to 12 November 2023, Fondation Opale (Lens/Crans-Montana) invites us to explore the unknown, to stretch the limits of our imagination and to discover new horizons with its new exhibition INTERSTELLAR. Curated together with artgenève, it offers a new perspective on our relationship with the galaxy through around sixty artworks by contemporary Aboriginal and international artists.

The artists encourage us to project ourselves into space and time, to envisage new realities. Their sensitivity and attention to the world enable them to offer a lucid reminder of our destiny. Their works invite us to question the meaning of our place in the universe.

Artworks in INTERSTELLAR (installations, paintings, sculptures, photographs and videos), like the successful film, invite us to view time and space in an open-minded way, and to imagine links and parallels between new and old myths.

In Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, everything on Earth is reflected in the sky. Dreaming stories, such as the Seven Sisters, relate to this connection with the universe. The sky holds a wealth of knowledge for those who can interpret and read the information it provides; much like deciphering a map or browsing through an encyclopedia. Sailors still read the stars for navigation purposes, and the sky acts as a seasonal calendar for hunting and gathering.

In response to Aboriginal artworks from the Collection Bérengère Primat, artgenève curatorial team, with a slight counterpoint effect, opens new paths: sometimes optimistic, sometimes disillusioned, sometimes funny, whimsical and often poetic.

Thus, INTERSTELLAR proves contemporary art’s ability to transport us to a universe with a complex surface, where dimensions are turned upside down, densities tilted, where time freezes and our perception becomes ultra-lucid.