Art meets science – The Austrian Polar Research Institute invites you to an exhibition dedicated to glacier protection
26.11. till 17.12.2025, Agnes Heller Haus, Innrain 52a, Innsbruck
In the International Year of Glacier Preservation, the Austrian Polar Research Institute (APRI) is focusing on the importance of Austrian polar research and its global contributions to the understanding of sensitive regions. Researchers and artists from the Austrian Polar Research Institute present their experiences and perspectives on the effects of the Anthropocene on the polar regions and high mountains. The exhibition features artistic representations, impressive macro photographs of ice structures and research equipment used in the Arctic and Antarctic. The aim is to reveal the magic, but also the vulnerability, of ice and to raise awareness of the global impact of glacier melt.
For thousands of years, humankind has been shaping its environment in order to secure its existence in nature. Over the course of civilisation, the perception of nature has changed from a threat to one of domination and exploitation. In the Anthropocene, we see the polar regions and high mountains as some of the last expansive areas of untouched nature. At the same time, these regions are increasingly being degraded for entertainment, as dumps for civilisational waste and as venues for industrial exploitation. This endangers local ecosystems and the way of life of indigenous societies and sets in motion a problematic cycle.
Many of the artists have been closely connected to these places for decades and strive for a metaphysical connection with nature. Landscapes have always been shaped by forces such as wind, water, ice and snow. Visitors are encouraged to recognise the fragility of the Arctic, listen to a tribute to the frozen landscapes and immerse themselves in the world of modern field research in polar regions. The artworks make the impermanent visible in the transient. This creates a fluid transition from physics to metaphysics, which should lead to a deeper awareness of the interconnectedness of all life. Nature does not need an economic value determined by humans to have a right to exist. Moments of deep connection with nature and the feeling of being at one with it can open up new perspectives that go beyond what the natural sciences alone can grasp. In such moments, only the present counts and undivided devotion to it. ‘Melt the ice in your hearts. Start smiling and praying so that our children can experience many more springs in this country!’ the Greenlandic shaman Angaangaq appeals to the world.
