Throughout history, geometric shapes have been valued for their practical and symbolic properties. They have been utilized in various ways and to varying degrees by civilizations around the world to achieve progress in pragmatic and utilitarian terms as well as to manifest and embody cultural principles, concepts and conviction. Indeed our lives are both consciously and subconsciously imbued with the significance of geometric shapes found in nature, manipulated in science, consecrated in religion and delineated in art.

This seems particularly true of circle. From the round earth we inhabit, wheels we discovered, and sundials we invented to the philosophical and religious paradigms we espouse and aesthetic notions we nurture, the circle and our perspectives of and beyond the circle have been and remain ubiquitous. The circle has been used to represent and sustain a multitude of ideals such as unity, cooperation, continuation, equality, completion and cohesion. It has been used to convey inclusiveness and equally, exclusiveness. The circle has been spiritually and philosophically charged and symbolically and ceremoniously employed by religious and secular interests alike. The prevalence of the circle in our lives and thoughts can be seen in the wedding hands on our fingers, the colorful rings on the Olympic flag, and the round tables used in diplomatic negotiations.

The significance of the circle to the structure, composition and content of art is exemplified throughout art history. Artists and artisans through the ages have been drawn to the circle to convey their message and reveal their creative intention weather instinctively, intuitively, intellectually, spiritually, scientifically and/or aesthetically. In earlier centuries this can be seen in the auras of Saints depicted in religious icons and in the arches and domes of Roman and Islam architecture. In modern times, the importance of the circle is omnipresent in such artistic endeavors as Robert Delaunay’s Sun Disks (1912~13), Max Ernst’s Black Sun (1927~28), Jasper John’s Target with Four Faces (1955), Adolf Gottleib’s Blast (1957), Flank Lloyd Wright’s Guggenheim Museum (1956~59), Robert Smithson’s Spiral jetty (1970), Robert Manglod’s Incomplete Circle #2 (1972) and Richard Long’s A Circle in Alaska (1977).

In these and countless other examples, variations of the circle have either been central to or incorporated in the works structurally and aesthetically. Sometimes the circle is perfectly geometric; other times, it is more organic or imperfect in form. Between such polar extremes of symmetry and asymmetry there remain infinite possibilities. Thus many contemporary artists, including the four represented in this show, have continued to explore and expand the use of the circle through their unique perspectives and style.

And herein lives the concepts of this exhibition – to bring together in one space four artists Insu Choi (Korea), Nigel Hall (Great Britain), Christian Herdeg (Switzerland) and Paul Insenrath (Germany) – from different cultural backgrounds who have in very dynamic and different ways made use of one common element or shape – the circle. The purpose is not to unduly isolate or exaggerate the significance of circles in art or concoct some esoteric account of them, but simply to draw attention to the universality of their presence and continued application in creative expression today, and to provide an opportunity to compare and contrast each artists in this show do not exclusively concentrate on this one geometric shape, but rather include it as a meaningful component of their oeuvre.

As we embark upon a new millennium the world is rapidly drawing closer together and we are ever more aware of the necessity for greater unity and understanding while at the same time, preserving and promoting our diversity. Through the university of the circle and the diversity of individual perspectives and experience, this show will hopefully serve to increase our awareness and broaden our appreciation of contemporary art and the enriching role it can play in our collective and individual lives.