Lothar Baumgarten, Jochen Lempert, Cathy Wilkes, Mara Wohnhaas, Richard Wright
Planet Venus in Full Daylight

5 MAR until 13 APR 2024

Contrary to astronomers’ belief, sailors of old, who had a particularly well-trained eye, were able to see the planet Venus in broad daylight. This ability was famously described by the ethnologist Claude Lévi-Strauss in his treatise “Myth and Meaning” (1978). It prompts the question: What do we see beyond that which is shown?

The group exhibition “Planet Venus in Full Daylight” unfolds around the wall installation “Moskitos”(1969) and an 81-part slide projection (1968–1971) by the artist Lothar Baumgarten (b. 1948, d. 2018). These iconic works are shown alongside contributions by Jochen Lempert (b. 1958), Cathy Wilkes (b. 1966), Mara Wohnhaas (b. 1997) and Richard Wright (b. 1960). The starting point of the exhibition is the interplay between the unconscious and the conscious, between field research and intuition, between nature and culture.

As part of the exhibition, a lecture “Melancholische Tiere” (in German/1 h) by Marcus Steinweg will take place on 11.4.2024 at 7 pm.