Wohin geht die Reise? Alles ist Wechselwirkung

with: Leonhard Angerer (IT) I Darja Eßer I Sibylle Feucht I Christine Gallmetzer (IT) I Thomas Grandi (IT) I Annegret Heinl I Hubert Kostner (IT) I Susanne Krell I Martine Metzing-Peyre I Sissa Micheli (IT) I Jindeok Choi I Elisabeth Oberrauch (IT) I Anuschka Prossliner (IT) I Karin Schmuck (IT) I Karl Theo Stammer (DT /IT) I Sukyung Kim (DT) I Lukas Thein (DT)

In the context of this cooperation, two exhibitions– the first of which was already held in the German city of Bonn in 2019 – explore the themes of "travel" and "nature" as understood by the famous German explorer Alexander von Humboldt. "Everything is interaction and reciprocal," this acclaimed universal genius, discoverer, natural scientist, and cosmopolitan once said. The exhibition reveals many references to the famed explorer whose thinking is more than 200 years old, but whose thoughts are still highly topical.

This trans-border exchange was initiated by Karl-Theo Stammer, who regards South Tyrol as his second homeland. Like Germany's Rhineland, South Tyrol, too, was always a transit region. And today it is well known especially as a Mecca for tourists. Like the Künstlerforum Bonn, the Federation of South Tyrolean Artists (SKB) – which has supported cultural projects and promoted up-and-coming artists for three generations – also wishes to stimulate international cooperation. Thus, "travel" is an obvious but also complex topic harboring both positive (e.g., broadening one's horizon) and negative aspects (the effects of travel in modern times). Contributions including graphic works by Karl Theo Stammer and Anuschka Prossliner echo Humboldt's drive to explore and research, as demonstrated by the travel journals he kept and also the countless drawings he made during his journeys. Elisabeth Oberrauch, for example, binds books which she then takes with her on her travels and fills with watercolors. But also more-distant references to the famed natural scientist can be found in the exhibition, opening a wide field of associations and transporting his thoughts into the 21^st century: In her paintings, art historian Christine Gallmetzer examines external constraints applying to representational art, as does Thomas Grandi. They, themselves, assume the position of the re-searcher. The topic of "travel" forms another of the exhibition's thematic complexes – in the form of meetings, exploration, and experience, as displayed in the works of Hubert Kostner and Karin Schmuck. The artists employ a variety of different media and starting-points to treat the theme based on their individual life experiences – or they assume the position of an observer, as exemplified by the border photographs of Leo Angerer or the projections of Sissa Micheli.

The meeting of Bozen / Bolzano with Bonn yields a cornucopia of connections pertaining to both historical and current events, and highlights numerous themes derived from the past but pointing into the future.

The exhibition will be opened on January 24, 2020 at 7:00 p.m. at the Galerie Prisma in Bozen / Bolzano.

The exhibition runs from Jan. 24 till Feb. 21, 2020.

Galerie Prisma | Tuesday through Friday, from 10:00 a.m. till 1:00 p.m. and from 2:00 p.m. till 6:00 p.m. and Thursdays from 6:00 p.m. till 8:00 p.m.