10dence platform - Contrapasso
an international
art exhibition challenging times we are living in
Within these times
of controversy and seemingly surrealistic justification and interpretation of
acceptable human behavior and jurisprudence, contrapasso could and would be
able to express justification in an artistic manner. The ‘Dante’s Inferno - Contrapasso’ exhibition will take place at Hof
van Ryhove in the city of Ghent, Belgium from August 14 till 30, 2026. The ‘Contrapasso’
exhibition project is a collaborative initiative from 10dence Platform.
Participating artists:
Eve Dominault - F, Ramon van Geest - NL, Sander Groen - NL, David Jenowe - USA, Bernd Kalusche - D, Bea Last - UK, Paul
Lorenz - USA, Fausto Marci - F, Petra Moll - IE, Colin Rhodes - UK, Margot
Rijven - NL, Frans van Viegen - NL, Ron Weijers - NL, Frans de Winter - NL
We consider the concept of the Dante’s Inferno Contrapasso project highly synchronized and applicable in relation with the challenging times we are living in. In Dantes Inferno, each circle has a particular punishment that corresponds to sins. Dante converses with the sinners and examines their penalty. The degree and nature of the sin determine the type of punishment. This is called contrapasso. The word contrapasso is a Latin term meaning “suffer the opposite”. Dante uses contrapasso throughout the inferno as the punishment of souls by a process either resembling or contrasting with the sin itself to establish justice. One of the examples of contrapasso occurs in the eighth circle of Hell, where the sorcerers, astrologers, and false prophets have their heads turned back on their bodies such that it is necessary to walk backward because they could not see ahead of them. This alludes to the consequences of predicting the future by evil means and displays the twisted nature of magic in general. Contrapasso functions not merely as a form of divine revenge, but rather as the fulfillment of a destiny freely chosen by each soul during his or her life. Dante inherited the idea of contrapasso from various theological and literary sources. As is to be expected with such a complicated concept, many interpretations of this interplay between sin and punishment have been proposed. Perhaps the best example of Dante’s true purpose can be seen in his treatment of non-biblical mythology. Dante’s Hell includes a myriad of classical heroes and beasts, ranging from Ulysses to Geryon, who exist alongside biblical and historical figures. While these mythological figures are taken from many sources and fill many roles, Dante treats them all similarly; in each case, Dante generally sticks to the canonical facts but also expands upon them.
