For the first time the exhibition brings together the fantastic realism of Zdzisław Beksiński, the biomechanical style of H.R. Giger–famed for his creation of the Alien monster–and the recently rediscovered erotic art of Sibylle Ruppert. Drawing on motifs from Surrealism and accompanied by quotes from David Lynch’s films, they conjure up a vision of a world that is at once traumatized and fascinatingly uncanny.
The Surrealist works of the Scharf-Gerstenberg Collection delve into the dark side of human nature. The works by Hans Bellmer, Max Ernst, Alfred Kubin and Goya examine what lurks beneath the polished veneer of apparent normality. Some probe the very edge of horror. The exhibition In the Shadow of Surrealism sets out to explore even darker realms.
In presenting works by Hansruedi Giger (1940–2014) and Sibylle Ruppert (1942–2011), born in Switzerland and Germany respectively, and the Polish artist Zdzisław Beksiński (1929–2005), the exhibition also juxtaposes two political systems, whose nightmarish qualities enter into a dialogue.