under water above water

Around 1850, when Modern art entered the world, the aquarium was invented. These monumental glass aquariums were a fascinating active and yet completely artificial interior world and also a counterpart to Impressionist painting “en plein air”. The discovery of this strange underwater world continues today in photography and video art and is a playful extension and critical consideration of the exploration of new worlds and also of perception. It is no coincidence that many different video artists or photographs from 1970 to the present day have worked with and developed the potential of these media under water. This catalogue is a historical overview and begins with prints from around 1900 finishing with contemporary photographic and video works: In doing so it reveals new perceptions of a seemingly everyday motif. artists among others: Wenzel Hablik, Alfred Kubin, Susanne Kutter, Peter Weibel