With the exhibition Animalia. Of Animals and Humans, the Heidi Horten Collection explores the complex relationship between humans and animals. The term Animalia, borrowed from biology, serves as the guiding principle for a critical examination of how humans treat animals, reflected in circa 90 works of art from the 20th and 21st centuries.
Derived from anima, the Latin word for breath or soul, the term Animalia, coined by naturalist Carl von Linné (1707–1778), encompasses both humans and animals. In contrast to this model of equality, humans' treatment of animals is characterized by a clear hierarchy.
As the supposed “pinnacle of evolution,” as beings of reason that rise above the animal world, humans assign ambivalent roles to animals. Artistic representations that make these different attributions visible say a lot about humans themselves, allowing conclusions to be drawn about their self-image and methods of projection. Thus, humans are already present in every image of animals—even when they are not part of the representation.

The exhibition explores the question of which social and historical structures are inscribed in representations of animals. They range from the idea of “man's best friend” to the humanization and objectification of animals to their exploitation. At the same time, the exhibition allows us to view Animalia as a thought experiment—beyond a shared biological category—as a principle of a shared model of life that considers animals as fellow creatures and co-actors.

At the end of April 2026, a Concrete Porsche from the series Elf Elf (2006) will pull into the so-called “Director’s Parking Space” in the Hanuschhof courtyard. Weighing several tons, the sculpture subverts the promises of speed, freedom, and individual accessibility commonly associated with the automobile. Within the specific context of the courtyard, the work also unfolds a subtly ironic commentary on questions of ownership, privilege, and the hierarchical organization of space—particularly with regard to parking spaces as markers of power and status.

Bechtold’s interventions in public space are always defined by their precision of placement. At first glance, the Concrete Porsche appears familiar, yet its physical presence and materiality create a moment of dissonance. This very ambivalence—between recognizability and estrangement—is central to Bechtold’s artistic strategy. His works invite viewers to reread everyday symbols and to question their social meanings.

Complementing the installation, the auditorium will present photographs, films, and serial works that contextualize the Concrete Porsche and illuminate Bechtold’s long-standing engagement with the motif of the automobile, as well as with issues of reproduction, seriality, and documentation. These works make clear that the Concrete Porsche is not to be understood as a singular object, but as part of an artistic field of inquiry developed over decades.

A catalogue will be published to accompany the exhibition.
Curated by Verena Kaspar-Eisert and Rolf H. Johannsen.