"THE DARKNESS OF THIS TIME" is the title of a collection of essays written about the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein dealing with his own pessimism about his times. Viridian Artists is pleased to present an exhibition of outstanding art by more than 70 artists who were invited to address this theme directly or indirectly in an artwork, for we, too, are confronted with much darkness of our own times.

Ludwig Wittgenstein's phrase “in the darkness of this time,” a phrase that he wrote repeatedly in his Philosophical Investigations, was the inspiration for this exhibit. We felt it was an appropriate theme at this moment in time, for there are so many discordant aspects to the darkness of today’s world: the pandemic, the evolution of politics, global warming, the loss of abortion rights, gun control, and who knows what else that may arise tomorrow. All these things and more, lead to concerns about how our future will handle the New World that is emerging from the rubble of today.

But how can art soothe and comfort when one feels powerless?  How will we get out of the Darkness? Can we? Art can be the way out for many – either from being in its presence or contributing to its creation. Googling “Darkness of This Time” yielded many surprising connections. Books, essays, letters, for many authors have written about it. Tolstoy, Wittgenstein, Kafka, Saramago and others have created theories and allegories about real and imaginary “darknesses” that forever changed their lives and their views about life. There is even a computer game called Through the Darkest of Times, described “to be as dark as it is important.”

More than 70 artists in this exhibit responded to an invitation to create or submit a past work that they felt addressed directly or indirectly the darkness, nihilism & dystopia that is affecting our lives today. The art in this exhibit is no larger than 24 inches in any direction. Half the proceeds from sales will go to charities that help alleviate some of the pain & darkness of these times and half will go to the artists.