Trinity Warrior II, acrylic on wood panel, 80 x 80 cm

‘Vor Kunst’

“Das Symbolische ist die Vorkunst; und das Symbolische hat dahin fortzugehen, daß das geistige frei werde und sich eine Gestalt gebe, daß sein Dasein Nicht auch ein anderes vorstellt, sondern nur das Geistige vorstellt. Das ist das Ziel des Symbolischen”

Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel

Van Der Plas Gallery is issuing an open call for artists to exhibit their artwork in our upcoming show entitled ‘ Vor Kunst’. “Art proper, for Hegel, is the sensuous expression or manifestation of a free spirit in a medium (such as metal, stone, or color) that has been deliberately shaped or worked by human beings into the expression of freedom. The sphere of ‘pre-art’ comprises art that falls short of art proper in some way…Compared to genuine art, ‘pre-art’ [or Vor Kunst] rests on a relatively abstract conception of spirit.” ( Hegel’s Aesthetics )

The artworks submitted:

Description of the Work 

The current state of common thinking tries to create dualistic balances (win-lose situations), while it would be better to see triadic harmonies instead (collaborative situations). The Trinity Warriors are fighting against the dualistic thinking in this world of paradoxes and promote a trialistic (threefold) worldview. That’s why they are shaped by the Celtic symbols for trinity, the Triskelion and the Triquetra, both of which I rediscovered by researching the history of the European/Swiss region I live in. Are you ready for the next step in thinking: From dualistic to trialistic? As you change how you look at the world, the world you look at will change.

TRINITY WARRIOR II (M. Sager, 2020). Acrylic on wood panel, 80 x 80 cm

TRINITY WARRIOR I (M. Sager, 2020). Acrylic on wood panel, 80 x 80 cm

Biography 

Mathias Sager is born in Zurich in 1975 and grew up in Switzerland. For many years he lived in Tokyo and also in Pune/India. Mathias is passionate about developing human potential, which is an overarching theme throughout all his work that is based on independent research and supported by intuition and art. Through teaching, counseling, and leading individuals and teams around the world, and with a background in education sciences, an EMBA in information and communication technology, as well as an MSc in Psychology, Mathias’ goal is to inspire with interdisciplinary, innovative, and cross-cultural approaches to personal and professional development for individual well-being and the common good alike. For Mathias, psychology and art belong together, why his paintings often appear together with written pieces of psycho-philosophical research and wisdom.

Artist Statement 

As the inventor of the concept of ‘Awareness Intelligence,’ which is the ability to expand and systematically use one’s thinking in the full scope of time and social relationships in a triadic constellation, I regularly take up the number 3 in my works. My art intends to remain raw, simple, and naively colorful, yet intelligently connecting the dots according to the holistic thinking behind. I invite the viewer of my work to give a second look to get that systematic. What is put into my paintings is (1) self-reflection, (2) love of social connections, and (3) the care for the next generation. It is thought that fuels the painting process, which then generates awareness-intelligent emotions, hopefully for the viewer too. Whenever the creative experience becomes work, I bring it back to fun through disregarding any methodological and technical considerations if needed; the term “play,” from that perspective, would better reflect the nature of my creative process.