Art has often been understood as something to be viewed from a respectful distance. The history of exhibition spaces, from the grand halls of Renaissance palaces to the white rooms of the modern gallery, has frequently emphasised the ability of the viewer to take in an entire composition with a single glance. The distant gaze privileges proportion, symmetry, and the overall unity of form, shaping art into an image that can be grasped at once. Yet "MICROCOSM: Intimacies Beyond Distance" proposes another way of looking, one that begins not with distance but with closeness. It asks the viewer to step forward and to dwell in the nearness where hidden worlds slowly unfold, much like words whispered too softly to be heard from across the room.