“If I Can Whisper the Mystery” debuts in Zurich during Zurich Art Weekend, presenting Janik Bürgin, Veronika Malyakina, Greg Papania, Adrian Falkner, Xinyi Hu, and Yoomoota. This exhibition is a multisensory journey that invites viewers to pause and experience poetic abstraction, discovering the extraordinary within the ordinary. The artists reveal hidden beauty in everyday life through color, sound, and scientific curiosity. The exhibition offers a subtle gesture-a whisper-encouraging us to look beyond the surface and sense the quiet mysteries that shape our daily lives.

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Curatorial Statement

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“Art is not always a shout—it is often a whisper,” says Alyona Ivanova, curator of the exhibition and founder of Illuma. “I wanted to focus on artists whose practices are deeply rooted in craft and evolving theories of aesthetics and colour. This exhibition is a celebration of the subtle spark that turns the mundane into the magical. We explore not only the materiality of art, but also the power of color theory and the impact of multisensory aesthetics—inviting viewers to engage with art on every sensory level.”

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Philosophical and Thematic Framework

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At the heart of this exhibition lies a meditation on color—not merely as a visual phenomenon, but as a vessel for emotion, memory, and spiritual inquiry. Rooted in the history of aesthetics, the show draws on Kant’s idea that beauty arises from the harmonious play of our faculties, and on Schelling’s vision of art as the highest form of philosophy, where nature and spirit, the finite and the infinite, are reconciled in a living whole.

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Inspired by Goethe’s and Kandinsky’s belief in the spiritual resonance of color, as well as the immersive legacy of the Color Field painters, the artists in this exhibition expand the boundaries of aesthetic experience. Through color, sound, and material, they invite viewers to engage deeply—with the artwork, the world, and themselves— transforming the everyday into an encounter with wonder and mystery.

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Each artist offers a unique perspective, revealing the extraordinary within the ordinary and connecting us to the rhythms of nature and the mysteries of existence.

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Artistic Highlights:

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Janik Bürgin: Luminous photographic abstractions that blur the boundaries between photography and painting— whether floating color spaces or painterly moments—transform everyday materials and fleeting instants into pulsating fields.

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Veronika Malyakina: Tapestries and textiles crafted with historical techniques and a nuanced understanding of color theory, meditating on nature’s unnoticed beauty, the flow of time, and the quiet power of material and craft.

Greg Papania (Astra): Creates immersive new media environments for harmonic alignment. His generative video series uses color and motion inspired by energy centers, theta brainwave states, and EMDR therapy; his work fosters balance, healing, and deep sensory engagement.

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Xinyi Hu: Creates ceramic installations that explore biological symbiosis, care, and the vulnerability of living bodies. Her art invites visitors to touch, listen, and reflect, fostering a sensory understanding of connection and empathy in an ever-changing world.

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Yoomootoa (Taras Yoom): The Yoomoota Universe—a biomorphic cosmos of collectible sculptures and paintings inspired by human biology and scientific discovery.

Adrian Falkner (SMASH137): Opens new ways of seeing the urban environment, transforming graffiti into abstract compositions. Bridging street and contemporary art, his work invites viewers to reimagine the energy of the city through fresh, dynamic perspectives.

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“If I Can Whisper the Mystery" is a celebration of transformation, craft, and innovation. In the spirit of wonder, attentive engagement, and contemplation of hidden truths, the exhibition invites us to slow down, sense deeply, and discover the extraordinary within the ordinary.

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Curated by Alyona Ivanova