Why Art?
One of the most spectacular discoveries in archaeology, the 40,000-years-old lion man, the largest sculpture of Ice Age art and the oldest depiction of a mythical creature, is on display at Museum Ulm. It was discovered in the Hohlenstein-Stadel in the Lonetal near Ulm, one of six caves in the Swabian Jura, which is regarded as one of the most important findspots of human-made art and has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2017.
The declaration of the caves with the oldest Ice Age art as UNESCO World Heritage Sites creates an ideal occasion for an exhibition that dives into one of the big questions in human history, the question of what drives the urge for artistic creation and of the significance of art for the various cultural nations up to this date.
The joint exhibition of Museum Ulm and kunsthalle weishaupt explores the question of the why, of the intrinsic and extrinsic motivation to create art. It investigates what may be the existential benefit humans gain through the independent act of artistic creation. It presents examples from the art’s past and present. Avoiding a Eurocentric point of view, it also investigates the respective categories of non-Eurpean art practices.
The exhibition is accompanied by an extensively illustrated publication, as well as by an extensive programme of public events.
An exhibition project by Museum Ulm in cooperation with kunsthalle weishaupt.