Within Jungian psychology, the Union (or Unity) of Opposites – also referred to as individuation – is the idea that the ego, the conscious part of the personality that interacts with the external world, must acknowledge and integrate with the “shadow” – the darker, repressed elements of our personality – if we are to achieve balance within ourselves and so gain personal growth and fulfilment of purpose.
It’s a profound concept when you consider that most of our societies through history have been or are predicated on acceptance and rejection of both personality traits and emotional states, rather than seeking to integrate them. We are constantly told to only listen to our “better angels” and reject our “demons”; men are often expected to embrace strength (or stoicism) and reject weakness (or vulnerability), whilst women have often been expected to do the reverse: accept meekness and reject self-assertion, and so on.
In her remarkable exhibition Union of Opposites, which opened at the Kondor Art Centre on July 30, Janus Fall uses a series of captivating avatar studies to present the idea that beauty is found through the integration of opposing elements of our psyche and the harmony of contrasts. In doing so, she also explores the idea of individuation and reminds us of an important lesson.
Given that Second Life avatars remain very limited in their ability to non-verbally communicate much of anything let alone the workings of the ego or the inner “shadow”, the 15 pieces Janus presents nevertheless powerfully communicate of idea that the opposites and contrasts within us form a more unified whole.
They do so through a refined and quite captivating mix of technique and presentation, not just of the avatars themselves – in which expression is marvellously used, given the limitations noted above – but in the backgrounds and the use of colour and geometry. Each piece is a triumph of communication of the exhibition’s themes, whilst also standing as an exquisite work of art in its own right.
Accompanying the pieces are text elements. Some appear drawn from psychology / psychiatry, some from religious texts, some appear to be from Janus herself. All serve to to further challenge our thinking and perception of self and wholeness.
It’s been three years since I last covered an exhibition by Janus, and her work remains as powerful and thought-provoking now as it was then, carrying within it an inherent ability to present concepts, ideas and essays on the nature of self in a marvellously visual a manner.
Contemporary wisdom encourages us to “find” our balance and purpose by looking outside of ourselves, and that once found, that they are somehow immutable. Through Union of Opposites, Janus reminds us that balance and purpose come from within; that, like beauty, they arise from the constant integration of the contrasting qualities of our psyche.
SLurl Details
- Union of Opposites, Kondor Art Centre (Royal Tea, rated Adult)
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