At a glance
Air, webs, water and ancestral knowledge meet in a living exhibition about how humans might share the planet differently.
Why go
You'll see
Pace of visit
Don't miss
Artlovers Tip
Look closely at the salt-like structures; they aren't just decorative but represent the delicate balance of the Atacama ecosystem. Visit during the late afternoon when the low Bavarian sun interacts with the gallery's open layout to create shadows that mirror the Argentinian highlands.
Inside the exhibition
Meet the artist
Key Movements
Genre
Description
Tomás Saraceno’s work has always been about the invisible threads connecting us to the atmosphere. In this collaboration with the Indigenous communities of Argentina’s Salinas Grandes, he moves beyond the gallery walls to address the urgent survival of water and air. It is a meditation on the ancestral futures already present in the landscape, guided by the philosophy of Ailton Krenak.
You're watching the museum’s rigid architecture yield to the elements. Light reflects off salt-inspired textures and documentation of The Sanctuary of Water, while the surrounding Englischer Garten seems to drift through the open galleries. The space feels less like a building and more like a living, breathing lung where the cosmos and the earth finally meet.
Worth travelling for?
- A global premiere: Be among the first to see the documentation and conceptual roots of The Sanctuary of Water, a permanent sculpture in northern Argentina.
- Dialogue with nature: Experience how Saraceno dissolves the museum’s edges, continuing a lineage of immersive atmospheric works by Fujiko Nakaya and Philippe Parreno.
- Ecological urgency: Engage with a vital call for environmental justice that bridges the gap between European institutions and Indigenous protectors of the land.
Experience as an Artlover
Start your visit by walking through the Englischer Garten toward the museum, noticing how the air and light change as you approach the building. Once inside, move slowly between the installations to catch the subtle shifts in atmosphere Saraceno has orchestrated. Afterward, find a bench by the Eisbach river just outside to sit with the realization that the environment you just saw in the art is the one currently flowing past your feet.