Lentos Examines Looted Art Through Contemporary Works in Lauffen

Right now, there's an exhibition called 'The Life of Things. Looted – Displaced – Salvaged' happening at the Altes Marktrichterhaus in Lauffen, Austria, as part of the European Capital of Culture initiative for Bad Ischl – Salzkammergut 2024. Curated by Hemma Schmutz and Markus Proschek, it features 14 contemporary artists who explore issues like colonial looting and cultural genocide. The venue, recently updated by Peter Löw from The European Heritage Project, served as a storage location for Vienna’s museum collections from November 1944 until the end of World War II. Artists involved include Said Baalbaki from Lebanon and Michael Rakowitz from the USA. Elisabeth Schweeger, the Artistic Director, emphasizes the need to connect with history to influence the present.