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Mars Installation May 8 - June 26, 2003 |
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Mars Installation May 8 - June 26, 2003 |
| Mars is the Roman god of
war and also of agriculture and fertility. He was highly promoted by the
Romans as the father of Romulus and Remus, the mythical founders of Rome.
In early Roman history, Mars was perceived as more of an agricultural or
pastoral god; this still had relevance even after he became more associated
with war, reflecting the imperialistic nature of the Romans. Because of
its reddish color the planet Mars became associated with the idea of spilled
blood, and Mars came to be known in western mythology as the god of war.
Dennis Kowalski based his conceptual analysis on the theories of the Greek philosopher Plato, which were later amplified by Neapolitan scholar Giovanni Battista Vico in the early 18th century, and revived by contemporary writers including Gore Vidal and Harold Bloom. These theories are derived from the cyclic nature of the way human society has evolved. In the beginning, there appears to have been an animistic belief in the magic of places and the personification of the elements. The age of gods, however, was challenged by the rise of individual men. Suddenly, kings and heroes were on the scene. They give birth to oligarchies, and to an aristocratic society where patricians battle for first place in the state. This created a tyranny that eventually inspired the people at large to rebel against their oppressors and establish Republics that, thanks to man's nature, tend to imperial acquisitiveness. The next stage in this process is chaos, our current condition, according to Vidal. "The world situation changes, but doesn't seem to improve, except in cycles and in certain places," says Kowalski. "Therefore, I conclude that at best what we are doing is maintaining equilibrium between construction and destruction, building and destroying." |
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