Debate

Homo Non-Primitive: A Public Science Lecture

An event accompanying Julie Mehretu. Kairos / Hauntological variations exhibition

LOCATION

Auditorium

LANGUAGE

Polish

ADMISSION

Free thanks to the cooperation with Audi Polska

Two abstract canvases with vibrant graffiti-style art featuring dynamic black lines and colorful shapes. They are displayed on a white gallery wall.

As recent scientific research shows, our previous understanding of the lives of our ancestors in prehistory was mistaken. We knew very little about their intelligence, ingenuity, social contracts, or the significant role women played in their societies. Archaeologists Małgorzata Kot and Iwona Sobkowiak-Tabaka will discuss new perspectives on the origins of humanity and the idea that “humans thousands of years ago could have been mature, thinking, empathetic, and creative beings—without the help of aliens, without civilization, without a state.” The conversation will be moderated by journalist and science communicator Agnieszka Krzemińska.

As part of the program of events accompanying the exhibition Julie Mehretu. Kairos / Spiritual Variations, MSN and pulsar, Polityka’s popular science portal, have jointly prepared a series of meetings with prominent figures in contemporary Polish science.

In her work, Julie Mehretu often refers to data visualization, knowledge categorization systems, and methods of visualizing reality. As stated in the curatorial text for her exhibition, her multilayered works capture the pace, ambiguity, and complexity of today’s world, and her entire body of work is aninvitation to move beyond the framework of simple solutions and universalizing narratives.

Following the spirit of Julie Mehretu’s work, we propose taking a step into the realm of science, which offers alternative and parallel ways—to art—of grappling with the complexity of the social, political, and economic world; the deep history of the species Homo sapiens and the surprising picture of our prehistory; and even—the ontological status of reality on both the micro and macro scales.