PRESS RELEASE
Juxtapose | Online exhibition
Apr 9 – May 4, 2026
JUXTAPOSE
Online exhibition
9 April - 4 May 2026
Juxta is Latin for "next," and Ponere means "to place" or "to lay." Juxta-positioning is not just about proximity, but the intentional arrangement of contrasting or complementary elements to generate meaning.
Artists use the concept of juxtaposition to create tension, evoke emotions, and add layers of meaning to their work.
Throughout history, artists have used juxtapositions to convey ideas and provoke emotions. Examples are found in Egyptian hieroglyphics, Greek pottery, and Roman Mosaics. During the Renaissance, artists created dynamic compositions by exploring the relationship between form and space.
The founder of Deconstruction in modern Philosophy, Jacques Derrida, challenged binary oppositions and the idea of fixed meaning in Western philosophy. He described how the method of différance is a way to analyse how signs (words, symbols & metaphors) come to have meanings. He suggested that meaning is not inherent in a sign but arises from its relationships with other signs, a continual process of contrasting with what comes before and later. That is, a sign acquires meaning by being different from other signs. The meaning of a sign changes over time, as new signs keep appearing and old signs keep disappearing. This is central to Derrida's concept of Deconstruction and the relationship between text and meaning.
If we consider Visual Art as a language, then meaning is derived through resemblance and contrast. The meaning is also not just determined by the present. The meaning of an artwork is determined by the interaction between past traces, future haunts, and the present system.
