With “Lightning Symbol and Snake Dance,” the MARKK presents its Aby Warburg Collection for the first time in its entirety. In 1923, the Hamburg-based art and cultural historian elaborated on his journey of 1895/96 through the American Southwest and his encounter with the Pueblo societies there in his famous lecture on the “Serpent Ritual”.
Yet, the objects he collected and donated to the Hamburg Museum had fallen in oblivion; they include ornate ceramics, ceremonial dance regalia, and impressive Katsina figures.
The exhibition examines their cultural significance, sheds critical light on their acquisition history, and also incorporates artistic positions of today’s Pueblo societies. It also addresses the issue of non-displayable objects and images, and how to respectfully deal with culturally sensitive content.
The exhibition takes place in cooperation with the Warburg Institute London. With financial support from the Exhibition Fund of Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg, the Warburg-Melchior-Olearius Foundation and the American Consulate General in Hamburg. The exhibition catalogue is supported by the Hermann Reemtsma Foundation. Restoration funding by the Ernst von Siemens Kunststiftung.
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