Darkness exists not only externally as a physical absence of light, but also references the state of mystery that abides inside every person. Part of the task of the artist is to go into that inner darkness and bring its contents to light. To reveal the hidden lets us know ourselves, and each other, better.
The February exhibit at Deus Ex Machina is "Heart of Darkness," ruminations on the traditional icon of St Valentines Day, the Joseph Conrad novel, and the shadow component of humanity. Darkness does not necessarily equal evil, but evil is part of the terrain we must navigate in there. There is something in us all that remains primitive and covetous, the old animal nature, snarling over its prey.
Conrad took his own particular experiences working in the Belgian Congo and translated them into a universal exploration of the corruption of power. His character of Kurtz was a great man gone wrong. He had been a proud bearer of the White Man's Burden; he went into the jungle thinking he would be bringing enlightenment to the savages. But like many a Classical playwright could have warned him, overestimation of one's capacities leads to tragedy. Hubris made Kurtz into the worst savage of all, a demon god demanding worship and tribute. Such is the course of the demagogue.
When a good intentioned leader descends into brutality, his followers are willing to overlook his excesses, remembering only his original inspiration. In the Conrad book a ragged, youthful sailor gushes about Kurtz, "This man has enlarged my mind," ignoring the poles festooned with severed heads all around him. But Kurtz himself, who did have great capacities, can not avoid acknowledging the consequences of his own choices. He is left murmuring about "The horror" with his dying breaths, a confession of the life he sees flashing before his eyes-an admission of his ultimate failure.
Good intentions are not enough.
The ends do not justify the means.
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