The Tropics. Views from the Middle of the Globe

In the minds of Westerners, the term "tropics" is usually connected to lush vegetation and exotic cultures - a view which is influenced, of course, by the traditional art from the equatorial regions. Although we generally recognize their highly spiritual content and strong emotionality, these works have an aesthetic quality which has long been overlooked. In recent years, contemporary artists have begun to re-examine the tropics - a mythically-charged subject that reflects the patterns of our perception so influenced by Western culture. The exhibition "The Tropics" examined the traditional image of the tropics and compared approximately 200 important works of art from the collections of the Ethnological Museum in Berlin with works by over 40 international, contemporary artists.

Curators: Alfons Hug, Viola König, Peter Junge

Artists: Franz Ackermann, Mark Dion, Candida Höfer, Beatriz Milhazes, Julian Rosefeldt, Thomas Struth, Fiona Tan, Guy Tillim and others

Organizer: An exhibition of the Goethe-Institut and the Ethnological Museum - Staatliche Museen zu Berlin in cooperation with the Museum of Asian Art

Venue and schedule:
Martin Gropius Building, Berlin, 12 September 2008 - 5 January 2009
Iziko South African National Gallery, Cape Town, 1 April 2009 - 14 June 2009