September 20, 2024 to February 16, 2025
SEEING TRUTH - Art, Science and Museums in the Production of Knowledge
Seeing Truth - Art, Science and Museums in the Production of Knowledge
Blazing the Trail to the Distant Past by Arthur A. Jansson Courtesy of the American Museum of Natural History
Truth is a difficult concept, and not just since the massive spread of fake news and the use of artificial intelligence to convey information. How can we find our truth amidst all the information in images, words or sound? Where should we find the truth? Whose truth should we believe?
These questions are at the heart of “Seeing Truth”, an exhibition that looks at how science, art and museums have worked together to produce - and sometimes distort - truth and knowledge. For centuries, artists (draughtsmen, painters, photographers, sculptors or modelists) have created truths and influenced our perception of the world through their view of the past and of natural phenomena or through their view of the evolution of life.
To get the conversation going, the exhibition features objects from the archival collection of the American Museum of Natural History, NYC, which we refer to as instigator objects. These objects (e.g. scientific equipment, expedition films, maps, dioramas) serve as instigators to think critically about how knowledge is constructed visually. Using these objects, the exhibition asks the audience how they know what they know about the universe, our natural world and the people who live around the world. How much of this knowledge - this truth - is art or science? How can we use art and science together to find better truths?
On display will be images (primarily digitized) and films from two US museums as well as images and other artifacts (e.g. models) from museums, archives and scientific institutions in southwest Germany. This collection is supplemented by current works of art that deal with the question of the production of knowledge. The responsible curator in Germany is Uwe Wenzel (MTC). He is supported by the main curator Alexis L. Boylan, Professor of Africana Studies and Art and Art History at the University of Connecticut/USA.
Open Wednesdays to Sundays, 1 - 6pm. Admission free.
