Virtual reconstruction of destroyed heritage at Bundeskunsthalle Bonn

The Bundeskunsthalle in Bonn presents 'From Mosul to Palmyra', an exhibition produced by the Institut du monde arabe in Paris, curated by Aurelia Clemente-Ruiz. The show features no physical artworks but high-definition digital screens and virtual reality reconstructions of archaeological sites destroyed in recent years, including Mosul, Aleppo, Palmyra, and Leptis Magna. The Institut collaborated with startup Iconem, which specializes in digitizing at-risk sites using drone imagery, archaeological research, and algorithms to create accurate 3D models. The exhibition runs from August 30 to November 3, 2019. In Libya, Leptis Magna suffered superficial damage from civil war cannon fire but faces looting and neglect. In Iraq and Syria, sites like Mosul (ancient Nineveh) and Palmyra were heavily damaged by the Islamic State, while Aleppo was bombed by Syrian and Russian forces. The destruction is described as crimes against humanity targeting cultural identity.