The Bird Show

Monira Al Qadiri, Thorsten Brinkmann, Mark Dion, Max Ernst, Gerrit Frohne-Brinkmann, Henrik Håkansson, Petrit Halilaj, Carsten Höller, Nicolas II Huet, Anna Jermolaewa, Šejla Kamerić, Nira Pereg, Elodie Pong, Harald Popp, Walid Raad, Robert Rauschenberg, Boris Saccone, Niloufar Shirani, Nora Turato

Birds fly wherever they want, unbound, independent, regardless of national borders. And yet they sometimes get caught between the fronts, as the recent case of a pigeon released in India, which is said to have been spying for China, shows. The symbol of peace as a secret agent on behalf of rival powers?

This spring, the ERES Foundation is focussing on the biology, anatomy and symbolism of birds. The enormous diversity of the more than 10,000 bird species worldwide is concentrated in a dense synopsis of contemporary art positions, which focuses on the attractive symbolic power of the animals as identity-forming creatures as well as their brilliant sensory perception and their inner magnetic compass. This has made them useful assistants to the military in a wide variety of wars, from the Crusaders to the present day. The unique physique of birds and their ability to navigate fascinate engineers and AI experts alike, making hawks and chickens role models for new developments in bionics and robotics. The exhibition also follows the spectacular migration of birds, the secret of which, according to the latest studies, is probably also rooted in quantum mechanics. Birds connect habitats, resources and biological processes, but their outstanding adaptability is also at risk in times of global species change.

The ERES Foundation gallery becomes an “aviary of diversity”, where “dirty parrots” meet “famous pigeons”, while flamingos duck away under imaginary fire and canaries warn of poison gas. The show invites to go birding – without binoculars!