For the Blind Man at ICA

For the Blind Man at ICA brings together a collection of surreal, playful and exploratory art that bases itself on the premise that all knowledge is speculative, and that we never truly know the answer to any question that life may pose. Collated from a selection of acclaimed international artists, For the Blind Man does not attempt to explain the world or even itself, it is an exhibition that revels in the speculative nature of art.

The blind man in the dark room
The title of the exhibition is taken from a phrase attributed to Charles Darwin that states "a mathetician is like a blind man in a dark room looking for a black cat that isn't there." With this in mind, the exhibition For the Blind Man at ICA gives viewers the chance to revel in their lack of knowledge and enjoy the art that helps us to playfully experience the sensation of not-knowing.

Everyday life in art
One of the major themes of the For the Blind Man exhibition is search for meaning in the everyday world. A large scale installation by Benoit Maire and Falke Pisano exemplifies this as a part sculpture, part performance piece involves a six tables that are constantly rearranged with various different objects throughout the course of the exhibition. For the Blind Man at ICA also features a collection of curiousities from artists that invite you to question the relationship between knowledge and speculation, such as mock professional lecture videos, a pound of strawberries shown in 34 miniature photos, and a large hat that contains thousands of stories located within tiny drawers..

Comical art
Despite the heavy philosophical nature of the questions at the heart of the exhibition, there is a great deal of humour on show at For the Blind Man at ICA. From artists romping in the countryside dressed as rats and bears to a man interviewing his cat about his views on a particular painting, the exhibition certainly doesn't take itself too seriously. There is even a chance to get involved with the art as you are invited to come and bash a large pinata hung from the ICA cafe ceiling that may or may not have surprises inside.

Evening events at For the Blind Man
ICA welcomes late night visits as the exhibition itself is open until 11pm and 1am most nights of the week. But special evening events for the exhibition also take place throughout the exhibition including talks, performances and the chance to see what is inside the large pinata in the cafe on the day the exhibition closes. Evening events programme looks like this:

7pm Monday 7th December 2009 - Talks with Roger Buergel and Ruth Noack about their exhibition from 2000, Things We Don't Understand. Tickets - £4.00

7pm Tuesday 12th January 2010 - A lecture with Matt Mulican formed by using drawings, slides and footages of his previous performances. £4.00

7pm Thursday 21st January 2010 - Gallery talks with Emily Pethick, director of The Showroom, London. Free.

4pm Sunday 31st January 2010 - Your chance to take a swing at the pinata created by Marianna Castillo Deball that is hanging in the ICA Cafe. Free.

For the Blind Man at ICA takes place from Thursday 3rd December 2009 - Sunday 31st January 2010. Entry to the exhibition is free, but special events will incur a small fee. For more information or to book tickets click on the link below or call 020 7930 3647.

ICA Official Website

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