Catalogues - Sailing in the Dark Cave - The Historia Naturalis of Sino Art

In Western thought, the metaphor of the Cave is often an allusion to the philosopher Plato and refers to sites that require illumination by the light of reason. The light of reason has enabled Western civilization to construct an Epistemology, a philosophy of “justified true belief” where human beings are the Subjects of knowing, and the Masters of knowing. For Plato and his followers, the Cave symbolizes an existence where pure reason is clouded by sensory stimulation; human beings must strive to leave this darkness for the light of day outside the Cave. Contrary to this notion by Plato and his followers, feminist philosophy regards the Cave as a figurative womb of civilization; that which nourishes the human imagination and expression, as evidenced by the exuberance of the primitive cave paintings. However, in the Epistemology of contemporary feminist philosophy, human beings still occupy a place of dominance.

The depth of the Cave is beyond the Western knowledge and comprehension.