The exhibition, which was developed by the Berlin Museum of Medical History in cooperation with the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, shows sculptural and installation works – enigmatically sprouting forms of life, such as might result soon from the boundless manipulation of life. In addition to the models of “future life forms,” which were created in dialogue with the Berlin Museum of Medical History’s nineteenth-century moulage collection, Matysik also presents a “living sculpture”: With the aid of the German Institute for Cell and Tissue Replacement, the artist’s own body cells were cultivated and have grown into a sculptural form that was prepared in cooperation with museum taxidermist Navena Widulin and thus made accessible to the public.

The exhibition at the interface of art and science is sponsored by the Schering Stiftung because of this linkage, its controversial subject-matter, and its high artistic and scientific quality.

In recent years, a number of art exhibitions and art projects on the social consequences of life science research and application have been realized internationally, producing new art movements such as the so-called “bio art” or “transgenic art.” In Germany, there has been comparably little interest so far; the works by Reiner Maria Matysik now give more extensive expression to these concerns. The exhibition will be accompanied by an interdisciplinary conference entitled “Life 3.0 and the Future of Evolution,” which will take place on September 16-17, 2010. Featuring experts from the cultural studies and life sciences, it will be held in the Lecture Hall Ruin of the Berlin Museum of Medical History and in the Einstein Hall of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities. Together with the exhibition “Beyond the Human Being,” the project “Life 3.0 and the Future of Evolution” wants to provide food for thought and open up new perspectives on one of the most important questions for the future of society.

Beyond the Human Being

Exhibition Opening: September 16, 2010, 7 p.m.

Exhibition Dates: September 17, 2010 – January 9, 2011

Location:
Berlin Museum of Medical History
Lecture Hall Ruin and adjacent rooms
Campus Charité Mitte, Virchowweg 17
Entrance: Charitéplatz 1
10117 Berlin

Opening Hours:
Tue, Thu, Fri, Sun: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., Wed, Sat: 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Closed on Mondays and on Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day.
Admission: 5 euro / discounted tickets for 2.50 euro
Reduced opening hours during special events in the Lecture Hall Ruin.
For information call: +49.30.450 536156

Additional information is available at:
http://www.bmm.charite.de/aktuelles/Mat/jenseits.html

Conference “Life 3.0 and the Future of Evolution”
September 16–17, 2010
Registration required.
For additional information, please visit the website of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities.

Photos: Reiner Maria Matysik