Shadow Catcher

It is said that anyone who creates a garden designs an imagined vision of the world.* In the exhibition Schattenfänger, new beings and forms of growth can emerge through co-creative processes. The artists Robert Gabris, Iva Ivanova, Natalia Dominguez Rangel, and Theodor Moise—curated by Lorena Moreno Vera—interweave current discussions on environment and climate into a poetic experience. Rather than instructing, the exhibition offers new impulses to experience the world differently and to continue shaping it.

Natalia Dominguez Rangel’s sound installation, located on the staircase leading to the exhibition, grooves its way into Schattenfänger with sounds and field recordings from Altoonapark. The exhibition space itself shimmers in deep blue and, together with additional sonic elements and scent, silhouettes, shadows, and movement, forms a nocturnal garden. Through drawings of plants and living beings, a contrasting kaleidoscope of light and shadow unfolds, creating an atmosphere between nature and art.

* Ellers, Iris (2025), A Garden Full of Flowers. On the Exhibition. Lilla Tabasso & Crispijn de Passe, 21 May–2 November 2025, Draiflessen Collection, Mettingen: StrzeleckiBooks, p. 14

When the sun sets, life takes another form. Enveloped in a deep blue hue, a new soundscape is activated by chirping insects, iridescent wings, and faint whispers. Shadows and lights give way to fantastic creatures. This twilight, and the abstraction it brings, sets relations anew. Nature turns shimmering, diverse, and polyphonic.

Shadow Catcher unfolds as a night garden, an exploration field, a shared habitat, and collaborative ecosystem. Through subtle shifts in sound, touch, and light, the exhibition reveals creatures that are transformed as the night evolves. How you encounter them—alone or with others, in full color or as a soft blur—shapes their story. Experience your own journey through the garden, walk your own path, leave your trace, and see where your imagination takes you.

Lorena Moreno Vera

• Robert Gabris
• Iva Ivanova
• Natalia Domínguez Rangel
• Theodor Moise

In connection with the exhibition Schattenfänger, the second floor of the KinderKunstLabor has been redesigned for the duration of the exhibition. Equipped with a wide range of new—and familiar—tools, devices, and materials related to drawing and painting, the space opens up diverse possibilities for further exploration and experimentation. Inspired by art history and the natural sciences, the newly developed setting encourages a continuation of the experiences from the exhibition. Here, experimentation, artistic work, and play are possible.