EARTH: a term that refers both to the world as a whole and to the topsoil, the ground beneath our feet. Ekkeland Götze combines both in his artistic projects. For 33 years, the artist has been travelling across every continent in the world. At specific locations, he collects samples of earth. These places always possess a special historical, cultural, religious or natural significance. In his studio, Götze prints the soil onto canvases and paper. The resulting images have a distinctive aesthetic impact due to their colour and surface texture.
In contrast to the monumental paintings of the late Romantic artist Eduard Leonhardi, the wall installation *DAS BILD DER ERDE* (The Image of the Earth), comprising 100 panels, offers a comprehensive overview of the approximately 50 projects that Ekkeland Götze has realised to date. In the main hall, the watercolour room and the reading room, images of the Earth and artist’s books relating to almost all of the projects are on display. These deal, amongst other things, with prayer rituals in India, ritual customs in northern Mexico, the dream paths of the Aboriginal peoples, and the geographical connection between the Amazon and the Orinoco. In Africa, Götze follows the tracks of animals. He pays a personal tribute to the painters he admires, Niko Pirosmani and Giovanni Segantini. He takes a critical look at the consequences of colonialism and the exploitation of nature. The series of images entitled DIE GLETSCHER (THE GLACIERS) occupies a special place; using the Alps as an example, it addresses the global retreat of ice landscapes.
A free exhibition catalogue presented the artworks and projects.
