Phenomenology Of Hope A Satellite project of Supercollider Curated by Joteva Elí, Khang B. Nguyen, Kio Griffith http://www.phenomenologyofhope.com Virtual Opening Reception: Saturday, August 8th, 7 pm The galleries will be opened during the VR opening reception on August 8th at 7 pm – Join us then in the VR 3D gallery! SUPERCOLLIDER presents Phenomenology of Hope, a virtual reality exhibition that simulates a post-COVID-19 gallery experience. The VR 3D gallery offers an immersive social experience where visitors can interact with each other and the artwork through their own avatars in real-time. Alluding to the current environment of accelerating changes and global development sparked by the pandemic, protests, systemic reevaluation and the ongoing climate anxiety, the 42 artists in this exhibition respond to the crises with their own interpretations of the phenomenon of hope. Arising from the ideas of desire, transformation, and optimism, recurring themes include justice, equality, identity, sovereignty, displacement, and sustainability. The works by international artists include painting, installation art, sculpture, photography, video, 3D scans/models, digital processing, and performance. Hope is an evasive phenomenon. For some it is a most harmful impairment, for others, it is one of the highest human virtues. It is difficult to precisely define but seems to leave its imprints on every aspect of human life and practice. Some embrace the expression of hope as an innate human virtue that refuses to condone the suffering in this world, while others perceive it as an escapists’ inability to confront the realities of the world. This exhibition examines the subject of hope by addressing some open-ended questions: What is the conscious experience of the phenomenon called hope? How is hope to be distinguished from belief and faith, promise and expectation, confidence and certainty, idealism and optimism? Does the absence of hope give rise to its opposite, the presence of anxiety, fear or despair? Is there a state of mind that is not confined to the polarity of hope and despair, hence surpasses them? How does the human experience of hope relate to other-than-human intelligence systems? What is hope’s relation to the present and future, activity and passivity, individuality and community? Does it impede one from undertaking the duties and challenges of the life-at-hand by its orientation towards a life-to-come? Is it a form of escapism to be eschewed or a power of transformation to be espoused? These and related questions are explored by the artists in this exhibition. The galleries will be opened during the VR opening reception on August 8th at 7 pm – Join us then in the VR 3D gallery! To experience the VR 3D gallery, visit www.phenomenologyofhope.com and click on ‘VR 3D Gallery’. If you would like to see additional work, we invite you to also visit the ‘2D Gallery’. Participating Artists: Adrienne DeVine, Akira Shikiya, Ann Phong, Asano Tsutsumi, Blue McRight, Carlos Gonzalez, Christopher Kojzar, Colin Roberts, Diane Williams, Eli Joteva, Emma Akmakdjian, Georganne Deen, Hung V. Nguyen, Isabel Beavers, Isabelle Higgins, Jackie Turpin, Janna Avner, Jonah Jackson, Jonathan Moore, June Edmonds, Kaitlin Bryson, Kate Parsons, KCJ Szwedzinski, Khang Nguyen, Kio Griffith, Kristin McWharter, Linnea Spransy, Maru Garcia, Megan Koth, Namiko, Naohiko Onodera, Neil Mendoza, Nihura, Richelle Gribble, Robert Gutierrez, Sean Noyce, Stalgia Grigg, Thomas Stoeckinger, Virginia Katz, Yogan Muller, Yukiko Sugiyama, and Zeynep Abes VR 3D Gallery Director: Eli Joteva Installation Assistant: Cate Brooks Architecture Design: Julia Farley Graphic Design: Kio Griffith, Marianna Lambros 3D Texturing: Emily Mah, Samantha Seitz, Marianna Lambros