With his work New Modulor, Alek Slon proposes a new reading of the ancient Greek myth of Polyphemus, the cyclops defeated by Odysseus, melting it with one of the most prominent symbols of modernist belief, Le Corbusier´s Modulor, which submits every development to the human dimension.

Cyclops, bigger and more powerful than man, builder of walls and weapons, and endowed with a one-eyed vision, represent a metaphor for the ingenuous striving for power and wealth. In contemporary terms, it may translate into the uncontrollable forces of industrial and economic development of mankind. In the original myth the monster, day after day, devours Odysseus' companions, promising him to be eaten last. Nowadays, humankind has become subject to complex processes that are difficult to control: inequalities, environmental degradation, climate changes - a multifaceted contemporary Polyphemus, so to say.

Alek Slon´s work invites us to reflect on these parallels of the ancient myth and our times. While Odysseus succeeds in defeating Polyphemus by using his genius and creativity to escape the trap, we are left to wonder whether we will be able to take similar actions to turn our destiny around.

Alexandra Wolframm - curator