Pushing the boundaries between reason and delirium, precision and chaos, The Stone of Madness, Mariana Guardani’s latest exhibition, is an imaginary dialogue with the book The Stone of Madness, by Benjamin Labatut.

The exhibition explores the intersection between literature, neuroanatomy, and psychoanalysis, establishing a dialogue with Platô Livraria in Brasília.

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The central work in the exhibition is a photograph of the artist’s studio, conceived as an autonomous piece. Rather than merely representing something, the photograph is the work itself — built upon an obsessive process of trying to reach an idealized form of a stone. Elements from the studio, such as the air conditioner, floor, and furniture, are incorporated into the image, making the context a vital part of the work and of its process of construction.

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In contrast, a series of eight small stone drawings, displayed in metal boxes, opposes the scale and disorder of the main image. This juxtaposition reveals the tension between control and chaos, where the effort to organize the undefinable becomes central.

In addition, other works will be distributed throughout the bookstore, where the theme of neuroscience appears in paintings and drawings — as if it were possible to translate the complexity of human consciousness and unconsciousness into images.