"Truth is incontrovertible, ignorance can deride it, panic may resent it, malice may destroy it, but there it is." (Winston Churchill)

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The truth is under attack today. In the post-truth era,[1] characterized by fake news, social networks, and different conspiracies, it is difficult to know what is correct, what is true, and if there is truly only one truth.

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Charles Peirce, the founder of pragmatism and the father of modern semiotics, defined "truth" as an accord between an abstract claim and the theoretical confirmatory boundary which scientific investigation can attain, while discerning and understanding that the examined claim's truth includes, and will always include, inaccuracies and mistaken assumptions that are integral components of the truth.

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In his books "The Archaeology of Knowledge" (1969) and "The Discourse of Language" (1971), the French philosopher Michel Foucault proposed a method for observing socio-political structures and institutions that determine the manners of social discourse. According to Foucault, knowledge is not produced in a sequential, objective, and scientific manner but rather, is controlled by ideological preferences that determine our manners of investigation and ultimately also influence the conclusion. "The Archaeology of Knowledge" thus reveals how power systems determine our agenda and decide what is considered as "the truth". The truth, says Foucault in the style of Nietzsche, is not the result of concerted, consistent, and impartial investigation; it is always the result of the "regime of truth" that exists in every era. It is determined by the question as to who are the "authorized signatories" entitled to speak in its name, an eligibility determined institutionally via power systems. Knowledge, then, depends on historical context, and is revealed via "archaeological" analysis that tracks the manners of its formation.    

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It is impossible to encompass all the opinions, dogmas, or theories about the concept of truth. The exhibition `The Truth – Mine and Yours ` seeks to open and extend the discussion, to ponder, ask and explore the concept of truth from a broad perspective, and to contemplate the space between my truth and yours. The exhibition displays the works of twelve contemporary jewelers who present their interpretation of the idea of "truth".

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 Ariel Lavian

Curator

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[1] The "post-truth era" refers to the circumstances in which objective facts have less influence on forming public opinion than emotion and personal beliefs.