Shifting Waters

No other city in the world is as defined by water as Venice. Everything seems to converge in the lagoon: heaven and earth, illusion and reality, man and sea. For centuries, its inhabitants have sought ways to transform the hostile environment into inviting splendour with ingenious technical inventions. Exposed to tides and storm surges and built on unstable soil, Venice is a prime example of the need to adapt to water.

In view of globally changing water cycles with increasing flash floods, high water levels and droughts, this aspect makes the lagoon city the vanguard of a changing relationship between the hydrosphere and the anthroposphere. In a fluid interplay, the group show Shifting Waters combines aspects of the coexistence of humans and water. The artistic positions are reminiscent of the permanent struggle with the forces of nature or enchant with the poetry of the liquid.

The beauty of pearls, the wondrous texture of scales, mighty structures from the hidden realm and the remains of dismantled architecture, create a melody of connection and repulsion. The exhibition features images, sculptures and thoughts that give an idea of how to deal with the fluidity of water, how to respond to it and how to benefit from it. A constant flow of change that will also shape our future.