In celebration of the X-mas Series, the Heidi Horten Collection annually invites a contemporary artist to design a seasonal installation within the museum. Following the contributions of Manfred Erjautz (2022) and Tillman Kaiser (2023), this year’s spotlight falls on Blue Lips (Kiss-mas) by Maruša Sagadin. The sculpture, resembling an oversized plum-shaped Christmas tree ornament, explores themes of beauty and adornment in a broad sense, extending even to the human body. The form doubles as a pair of lips, which, as the title suggests, are rendered in blue. 

The exhibition Light Sound Senses explores light as a physical and natural and aesthetically usable phenomenon and aims to stimulate our diverse sensory perceptions. Visitors are invited to engage with multi-sensory works of art to heighten their own awareness of space, time, light and sound. Light is explored as an indicator of technological development and as a cultural construct with symbolic meaning. Through works from the Heidi Horten Collection as well as loans from TBA21 and site-specific and immersive installations - realized exclusively for the exhibition by invited artists - Light Sound Senses conveys a deeper understanding of the nature of light, sound and our five senses.

In the exhibition, which extends over two floors of the museum, visitors will get to know a pioneer of light art, László Moholy-Nagy, or encounter immersive light installations by Olafur Eliasson, Brigitte Kowanz and Siegrun Appelt. Appelt deals with the topic of light pollution and the scientific background of daylight research.

Tracey Emin and Joseph Kosuth use neon as an artistic and conceptual material. A room-filling sound installation by Austrian artist Bernhard Leitner encourages visitors to “see” sound; other artists use sound to achieve a stronger perception of their own bodies. Finally, works by Lena Henke and Ernesto Neto will stimulate the sense of smell and taste.

What can sculpture be today?

The exhibition Focus Franz West is a survey of the multifaceted work of Austrian artist Franz West, who challenged and playfully subverted traditional genre concepts. West’s creative universe is all-encompassing: his oeuvre includes drawings, collages, posters, videos, and, most notably, works dedicated to the principle of participation and an expanded concept of sculpture.

The centerpiece of the exhibition is a work that is a new addition to the collection: Franz West’s nine-part series of collages for the 1990 Biennale, which takes an ironic look at the dialogue between artwork and viewer. The series is a sequel to his earlier Passstücke (Adaptives), portable sculptures that function as a temporary extension of the human body and invite the recipient to interact with them.