Archistories – Architecture in Art

Architectures tell of history and stories, of their builders and users. They are media for expressing values and shaping our world. While the main building of the State Art Gallery Karlsruhe, one of the oldest museum buildings in Germany, is currently undergoing extensive renovation, the adjacent orangery will open its doors in autumn 2025 after several years of restoration. The first special exhibition to be held here in the former greenhouse will focus on the theme of architecture in art. The exhibition "Archistories – Architecture in Art" showcases more than 100 works by around 70 artists from five centuries that reflect on architecture. With paintings, drawings, graphics, and sculptures from the collection of the State Art Gallery Karlsruhe, as well as video works, photographs, and installations by invited contemporary artists, the exhibition provides insight into the history of architectural pieces since the 17th century and the archisculpture of the 20th and 21st centuries. Archistories also reflects the immense contemporary interest in engaging with anthropological, aesthetic, political, social, and ecological questions related to current and future building practices. For humanity has never been more aware than today of how sustainably this sector of our creativity shapes the ecosphere, and the question of how we can design it sustainably has never been more pressing.