In our search for the best way of approaching GASK’s new permanent exhibition, we found inspiration in today’s dramatically changing world full of challenges, upheavals and crises – a world in which each of us is a protagonist in his or her own life story. The basic idea behind the exhibition draws loosely on the writing of the American ethnologist and religious scholar Joseph Campbell (1904–1987), who identified surprising parallels between various cultures’ myths, fables and religions, on the basis of which he constructed the idea of the ‘monomyth’ – the idea of a universal ‘hero’s journey’ consisting of three main stages and possessing a typical dramatic structure: a wanderer leaves his familiar surroundings in order to face challenges. He enters the unknown, where he encounters obstacles and demons but also guides and helpers. He faces various dangers, struggles with himself and with the outside world, and when the adventure is over, he returns home transformed.

The works of art included in the exhibition – itself a journey Through the Labyrinth – represent a thematically based selection of works from the GASK collections ranging from the early twentieth century to the present day, with a particular focus on acquisitions from the past ten years. Their arrangement in the gallery spaces is designed to reflect an archetypal journey during which wanderers – gallery visitors – pass through various stages of learning, self-discovery and identification through their encounter with art. Short explanatory text aid this journey, like a red thread in a maze.

The exhibition’s architectural and visual design engages in a dialogue with the dynamics of the space, creating contrasts between light and shadow, between tension and release. Visitors encounter a wide range of atmospheres– from concentrated dramatic scenes to light and empty spaces designed for resting, reflection or gathering one’s strength. The exhibition’s two main wings are divided into twenty-one thematic sections. Through the Labyrinth also features interventions by artists, performers, theorists and educators offering additional views, interpretations and insights.