iHaus der KunstLehel
Air-fueled sculptures and multispecies habitats exploring eco-social futures, including a new commission made with Indigenous communities in Argentina fighting lithium extraction.
Ropes hang from the ceiling in a dense web, and every strand you touch vibrates into sound. Wallpaper watched visitors crawl, hop and pick their way through Algo-r(h)i(y)thms, which makes this the one room in Haus der Kunst where crawling is the correct way to look at art.
The show joins Saraceno's two long projects: Aerocene, on flight without fossil fuels, and Arachnophilia, on spiders and their webs. Two rooms go to a new work made with the Red Atacama communities fighting lithium mining on Argentina's Salinas Grandes, with salt crystals that crunch underfoot.
Critics split. Studio International's Veronica Simpson found "the spiders are not the main event" but said the message "never gets old"; e-flux's Mitch Speed saw a "potpourri of approaches, each discordant with the last." Adults pay €15 and under-12s go free. It's closed Tuesdays, and free on the last Friday of the month from 4pm to 10pm.
A new commission made with Indigenous communities in Argentina who are fighting lithium extraction, shown alongside Tomás Saraceno's air-fuelled sculptures and multispecies habitats. The battery in your phone is part of the subject.
Algo-r(h)i(y)thms
Look for the web of ropes you walk, crawl or hop through; each strand or cluster vibrates and sounds as you move.
Webs of At-tent(s)ion
Real spider webs, built by the spiders themselves, sit in glass boxes under spotlights in darkened rooms.
Towards the Sanctuary of Water
Huge orbs and bubbles of plastic and glass hang above a false pond in a dark room, with line-drawn animals glowing on the walls.
Weaving with Red Atacama
A textile handwoven by the Indigenous communities from sheep and llama wool with natural dyes, laid on the floor where you can rest and recline.
The terrace habitat
Outside on the terrace, Species of Spaces and Other Pieces is a metal structure built to house birds and insects, which Studio International likened to a molecule crossed with a Meccano kit.
You want quiet looking: much of this show is meant to be touched, climbed through and played with.
Under-12s go free and the museum runs family tours of the show. Wallpaper found children encouraged to touch and play, including crawling through the rope web.