The World Without Us
Katharina Sieverding, Die Sonne um Mitternacht schauen SDO/NASA (Blue), 2010–15 
Nika Neelova, Second Sight, 2025 
Christian Kosmas Mayer, Allochthone, #4 #6 #7, 2012 
Sophia Gatzkan, Without the blood bond the arch would fall, 2025 
Philip Topolovac, Aggregate, 2014 
Martin Walde, UBIQ_X, 2021 
Michał Zawada, Landscape with Mountains and a Comet, 2020 
Nicolás Lamas, The Agony of the Past Detail, 2023
As a result of the Enlightenment, science extended the traditional Western conception of space and time into the realms of sheer infinity. The universe became older, larger and colder. This coincided with a sense of unease that mankind was no longer at the centre of the universe, no longer rooted in a world view that was capable of wresting ultimate meaning from history. The threat of an apocalypse gave way to a geological continuity of disasters and changes.
There is a dawning awareness of an uncanny, sublime indifference towards the human scale in a universe that is neither empty nor animate, but rather undead.
The exhibition brings together artistic positions that draw on concepts such as “deep time” – time periods spanning billions of years, in which human existence is little more than a fleeting moment – and “cosmic horror”, a feeling caught between fascination and terror when faced with non-human existence that is inconceivable to our notions of time and space.
Curators: Markus Proschek, Hemma Schmutz
Curatorial Assistant: Sandra Eichinger
We would like to thank the Polish Cultural Institute Vienna for supporting the travel of one of the participating artists.
Artists
Klemens Brosch, Martin Dammann, DARUM, Albrecht Dürer, Mark Fridvalszki, Sophia Gatzkan, H.R. Giger, Anna Jermolaewa, Alfred Kubin, Nicolás Lamas, Angelika Loderer, Christian Kosmas Mayer, Nika Neelova, Markus Proschek, Natalia Domínguez Rangel, Katharina Sieverding, Philip Topolovac, Chin Tsao, Martin Walde, Michał Zawada, u. a
We would like to thank the Polish Cultural Institute for the support of the Anreise eine:r Künstler:in.
I have seen the dark universe yawning
Where the black planets roll without aim;
Where they roll in their horror unheeded,
Without knowledge or luster or name.
H.P. Lovecraft, Nemesis
Begleitheft
Upcoming events
| Date | Title | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Sun 20.09 | Public guided tour through „Katrin Plavčak“ Duration: 60 minutes, max. 25 people, guided tour ticket: €4 (plus admission) No registration required (“first-come, first-served”). German only | 4:00 pm–5:00 pm |
| Tue 22.09 | Public guided tour through “Katrin Plavčak” and “The Collection” Duration: 60 minutes, max. 25 people, guided tour ticket: €4 (plus admission) No registration required (“first-come, first-served”) | 4:00 pm–5:00 pm |
| Thu 24.09 | Public guided tour through „Katrin Plavčak“ Duration: 60 minutes, max. 25 people, guided tour ticket: €4 (plus admission) No registration required (“first-come, first-served”). German only | 6:00 pm–7:00 pm |
| Sat 26.09 | Lentos Atelier Children and young people between the ages of 6 and 12 have the opportunity to discover works of art, work creatively and try out different techniques in the Lentos studio. | 10:00 am–12:00 pm |
| Sat 26.09 | Los Lentoninios Every second Saturday each month (in the holidays: Tuesday) our youngest visitors are cordially invited to the Donauatelier to give their fantasy and creativity free rein. | 3:00 pm–4:30 pm |
| Sun 27.09 | Monument Day: Tactile Guided Tour On Heritage Day, the Lentos Art Museum in Linz invites you to a dialogue-based discussion on art. The focus will be on the museum’s collection and architecture. The event is aimed at both blind and visually impaired people as well as sighted visitors who would like to experience the museum in a different way. Sculptures, a tactile model of the museum, and objects from the restoration workshop will be described, touched, and experienced through all the senses in a shared exchange. Afterward, everyone is invited to get creative and engage in artistic activities themselves. | 11:00 am–12:30 pm |
| Sun 27.09 | Public guided tour through „Katrin Plavčak“ Duration: 60 minutes, max. 25 people, guided tour ticket: €4 (plus admission) No registration required (“first-come, first-served”). German only | 4:00 pm–5:00 pm |
| Tue 29.09 | Baby Tour: Katrin Plavcak. Painting Reality in Surreal Times A relaxed tour of the exhibition, tailored entirely to the needs of visitors with babies. Cost: museum admission only | 10:30 am–11:30 am |
| Tue 29.09 | Public guided tour through “Katrin Plavčak” and “The Collection” Duration: 60 minutes, max. 25 people, guided tour ticket: €4 (plus admission) No registration required (“first-come, first-served”). German only+ | 4:00 pm–5:00 pm |
| Thu 01.10 | Press Conference: erika roessing (1903 – 1977) The exhibition shows erika roessing’s still lifes in dialogue with major works created by her husband, and highlights the artistic symbiosis of the couple. | 11:00 am–12:00 pm |