EPHEMERIS Dialog Fotographs and Collections

Georg Tappeiner’s Photographs in Dialogue with Objects from the Collections of the Bayerisches Nationalmuseum

In the exhibition “Ephemeris – Dolomites | Wadden Sea,” a subtle and evocative dialogue unfolds between the photographs of Georg Tappeiner and objects selected from the collections of the Bayerisches Nationalmuseum by its Director General, Dr. Frank Matthias Kammel.

Tappeiner’s large-format images of the Dolomites and the Wadden Sea—landscapes poised between towering rock formations and endless horizons of water—find unexpected resonances in the forms and materials of historical works of art.

A delicate ornamental comb, for example, whose flowing silhouette recalls the gentle motion of receding sea waves, reflects the rhythms of the Wadden Sea through a finely crafted everyday object. At the same time, its coloration evokes the light of sunset reflected on the Dolomites.

In the juxtaposition of photograph and object, two worlds converge: the forms of nature that Tappeiner reveals through the light of mountains and tides, and the human-made artifacts whose lines, materials, and structures quietly reflect the same elemental forces.

This interplay demonstrates how stone and water—and the shapes they create—are deeply embedded in the visual language of art and culture.