Our Philosophy

Stimulus and perception combine to construct meaning. We believe the image, and art in general, should be considered in its own right … for its own sake … as stimulus … as perceived narratives shifting from moment to moment, from person to person. Linkages between stimulus and perception are not arbitrary nor persistent.

The ‘event-horizon’ of a black hole in space is the precise point beyond which light and information cannot escape to the rest of the world. It is the edge of meaning. All meaning is subjective, derived from cognitive processes driven by sensory stimulus. Meaning is transferred through communication; carried by language where elementary tokens are packed and unpacked according to agreed protocols. Sign and signified become linked momentarily and arbitrarily as the mind grapples with stimulus to reveal meaning. Art 'speaks' through sensory perception which in turn provides meaning. Here, at the Event Horizon Gallery, many of us like to pursue art on the edge ... at the event horizon of meaning.

The image, although it may borrow pragmatically and contextually, exists as an artefact and as a vehicle for the transfer of meaning apart from and beyond discourse of technique, genre, style, subject, technology, media and everything else outside itself. Pragmatic concerns, such as who created the artefact, why, when, where, how, etc can and do overlay an artefact with meanings beyond those which are generated by the sensory messages transmitted by the object. However, these supplementary meanings, although they may influence appreciation of the object (and therefore its desirability in a commercial sense), are not necessarily meanings intended, or even conceived of, by the artist. The Event Horizon Gallery believes the image, and art in general, should firstly be judged as itself and for itself, in its own right. Once it exists, an artefact can and should primarily be perceived and appreciated for what it is and not for how, when, why and where it found life.