On Landscape

Nature has never been a neutral representation as a subject of art. Ever since landscape painting emerged as a distinct genre in the 14th century, it has been a cultural construct. Whether as an idealized idyll, untouched wilderness, or a space of economic and cultural activity—landscape has always served as a canvas for projection. This appropriation reached its peak in 19th-century Romanticism, which elevated nature to quasi-religious heights under the concept of the sublime. The contemporary gaze also measures itself against this. Landscapes can be testimonies to ecological guilt in the so-called ›Anthropocene‹—and at the same time, points of escape for the longing for a better world. Humans have shaped, exploited, and destroyed nature. And yet they still seek redemption in it. They dream of Arcadia, which never existed. Of paradise, which has always meant gardens, never primeval forests. And artists still break new grounds: to the poles, into the rainforest. In search of a transhuman experience.

What happens, though, when the landscape itself becomes artificial? When it consists of algorithms, data, and AI-generated simulations? The exhibition asks whether such artificial landscapes are merely a reflection of our alienation—or whether they hold utopian potential. The exhibition focuses consistently on the genre of landscape and presents it across various media: from painting and photography to video, object-based art, and sculpture.

With works by: Alkan Avcıoğlu, Jessica Auer, Julius von Bismarck, Sven Drühl, Ornella Fieres, Philipp Fürhofer, Noémie Goudal, Beate Gütschow, Simone Haack, Michelle Jezierski, Friedrich Kunath, Hiroyuki Masuyama, Mike Strauch, Troika (Eva Rucki, Conny Freyer, Sebastien Noel)

Curated by Marc Wellmann and Asja Wolf

The exhibition is supported by the Schering Foundation. A accompanying program will be held as part of this collaboration.