Our biennial theme for 2019|20 “Naturgemälde” will explore the representation of natural phenomena in science and art. It is inspired by Alexander von Humboldt's concept of “Naturgemälde”, which literally translates to “nature-painting” and expresses his holistic view of the world. This concept leads to a whole panorama of questions: What is our understanding of a “Naturgemälde” in modern natural sciences? How does modeling function in the natural and technical sciences today? How can climate change be visualized and thus made comprehensible? How might modern “nature-paintings” benefit from participatory forms of research such as “citizen science”? What does “nature writing” mean in literature? And what would a “Naturgemälde” sound like in modern sound art?

Together with you, we want to ask these and other questions at lectures, concerts, exhibitions and readings and to discover old, new and future nature paintings.