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 |
|---|---|---|
| Sat 05.09 | Lentos Atelier (Fully booked) 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 05.09 | A Studio for All Age Groups (Fully booked) Every first Saturday each month we throw open the door of our “Atelier für Alle”, our studio for sessions with all age groups from 0 – 99. | 2:00 pm–4:00 pm |
| Sat 05.09 | Express Tour: „Die Sammlung“ This tour offers an insight into the Lentos. It looks at the museum‘s history and collection of art and includes highlights of the present special exhibition. Language: English, Ticket: 3€ plus admission, duration: 45min | 4:00 pm–5:00 pm |
| Sun 06.09 | Family Sunday Especially for families: Explore with the children’s guide and enjoy a creative afternoon in the open Danube Studio between 1:00 PM and 4:00 PM. | 1:00 pm–4:00 pm |
| Tue 08.09 | Press Tour: Prix Ars Electronica & S+T+ARTS Prize 2026 The exhibition features six selected works by winners of the Prix Ars Electronica and the S+T+ARTS Prize 2026. | 9:00 am–10:00 am |