Civilization

About the
exhibition

Never have more people lived on Earth, never has our impact on the planet been greater, never have we been more closely interconnected than today—moreover, our society is changing at an ever-increasing pace. Civilization: The Way We Live Now follows humanity’s visible traces around the globe from the perspective of more than 100 internationally renowned photographers. The exhibition sheds light on various aspects of our highly complex coexistence—from humankind’s great achievements to our collective failings.

In the year of its 40th anniversary, Kunsthalle München is dedicating this exhibition to the question of how we live today, illustrating both civilization’s diversity and contradictions.

Civilization focuses on cultures from every continent: from the way we produce and consume, to how we work and play, travel and live, think and design, collaborate and clash. In a time where it seems that people and opinions are drifting further and further apart and urgently needed consensus seems increasingly unattainable, this exhibition focuses on what we have in common. Since Edward Steichen’s groundbreaking 1955 photo exhibition, The Family of Man, it is the first show to take such a comprehensive look at our world and at what we care about: home, work, leisure, transport, communication, education, science, and technology.

Never before in the history of humankind have so many people been as connected and dependent on each other. The modern Olympic Games, the giant jumbo jet, smart phones and social media, artificial intelligence (AI)—controversial as they may be, none of these phenomena would have been possible without the preserved knowledge of earlier times and the joint efforts of highly qualified, highly educated, and highly motivated people. Civilization is an exhibition about contemporary photography, a medium which can also be seen as a collective civilizational endeavor: together, photographers are creating a multifaceted portrait of our time. All over the world, they are busy documenting, interpreting, and capturing the way we live. The result is a cross-section ranging from documentary projects to decidedly subjective stagings. Rather than taking a judgemental position, the associative compilation of varied and surprising works aims to inform, entertain, and inspire. Viewers are invited to reflect on similarities and differences and to engage in open discourse. Next to renowned artists such as Candida Höfer, Edward Burtynsky and Thomas Struth, the exhibition also features younger mid-career photographers such as Pablo López Luz, Sheng-Wen Lo and Julia Chamberlain, among others.

Civilization was initiated by the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art of Korea, and the Foundation for the Exhibition of Photography, Minneapolis/Lausanne. Since 2018, it has been featured in Seoul, Beijing, Melbourne, London, and Taipei, among others. The exhibition is now presented at the Kunsthalle München in an updated form and complemented by many works addressing current issues such as the COVID pandemic and artificial intelligence. In 2026, the exhibition will be on view at the Museum für Gestaltung Zürich, Switzerland.

#CivilizationMuc #CivMuc #KunsthalleMuc

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Sheng-Wen Lo, Diergaarde Blijdorp Rotterdam, The Netherlands, 2016, from the series White Bear

Michael Najjar, orbital ascent, 2016, from the series outer space

Candida Höfer, Augustiner Chorherrenstift Sankt Florian III 2014

Pablo López Luz, Vista Aerea de la Ciudad de Mexico, XIII, 2006, from the series Terrazo

Jeffrey Milstein, Newark 8 Terminal B, Newark, NJ, 2016, from the series Airports

Natan Dvir, Desigual, 2013, from the series Coming Soon,

Olaf Otto Becker, Point 660, 2, 08/2008 67°09’04’’N, 50°01’58’’W, Altitude 360M, 2008, from the series Above Zero,

Photo: Stefan Heigl

Photo: Robert Haas

Photo: Stefan Heigl

Photo: Stefan Heigl

Photo: Nadine Stegemann

Photo: Stefan Heigl

Program

Sat

26.4.

6 pm

The Salt of the Earth

Directors: Wim Wenders & Juliano Ribeiro Salgado
FR/BR 2014, 109 min.

At and in cooperation with the Theatiner Filmkunst cinema, Theatinerstrasse 32

Special Jury Prize in Cannes 2014! Documentary film by Wim Wenders about the Brazilian photographer Sebastião Salgado, who documents the traces of our changing world and human history on all continents. He has witnessed important events in recent decades – international conflicts, famine and suffering. His second photo project “Genesis” stands alongside this. Almost half of our planet remains untouched to this day. With his camera, Salgado also devotes himself to these paradisiacal places on our planet.

Movie Trailer

Tickets

Mon

28.4.

5 pm

“You are what you eat.” What our food culture reveals about the state of civilization

Panel in German with star chef Tohru Nakamura and Prof. Hartmut Böhme

We invite you to a discussion as part of the exhibition Civilization: The Way We Live Now. Our guests are munich star chef Tohru Nakamura and cultural scientist Prof. Hartmut Böhme. The curator of the exhibition, Stefan Kirchberger, will moderate the event.

An evening full of thought-provoking and practical suggestions for our everyday lives. Because when we talk about food, we talk about the world we live in.

Eating is much more than simply consuming food – it is a cultural act, a reflection of our values, our relationship with nature, technology and the future. At a time when supply chains are global, resources are finite and nutritional demands are constantly changing, the question arises: What does our food culture reveal about civilization?

In cooperation with the Schreiberei and the Food Biennale, Berlin. The Food Biennale, initiated by Beate Slominski, combines culinary art with art, film and design. The focus is on the cultural significance of cooking, eating, nutrition and enjoyment – culinary art in the context of art.

Venue: Kunsthalle München, Gartensalon
Admission: € 25 (with ticket for the exhibition)

Bildcredit Tohru Nakamura: © Hoang Dang

Tickets

Mon

28.4.

18 Uhr

Curator's guided tour

Guided tour in German by the curators of the exhibition Civilization: The Way We Live Now

Price: € 7 + admission, available at the Kunsthalle ticket counter and online.

Photo: Thomas Struth, Pergamon Museum 1, Berlin 2001, 2001, ©️ Thomas Struth

Tickets

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Audio-Tour

For the exhibition is soon available . It can be accessed from home and in the exhibition with your own mobile device. Please bring your own headphones when you visit the exhibition.

Start the Audio-Tour here

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