Artdots Echo: Pinakothek der Moderne - December 2025

The Pinakothek der Moderne presents two juxtaposing exhibitions, one focusing on tradition and the other on technological development, addressing our relationship with the past and perspectives on the future.

Stefan Rinck: The Alpine Clan Returns / Der Alpen-Clan Kehr Zurück

About Stefan Rinck

Stefan Rinck, born in 1973 in Homburg/Saar, is a sculptor. Rinck’s work has been exhibited in numerous prestigious institutions, including the Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris and the Musée d’Art Contemporain de Marseille. (…) His sculptures are installed in public spaces worldwide and are held in many public and private collections.

The exhibition

Nonchalantly evoking a Bavarian way of life, they offer a fresh take on traditions, such as customs, superstitions, and festivities, but also pride in this heritage. (…) Rinck’s latest cast of characters humorously questions regional cultural practices, appropriating and reinterpreting them. At the center: a little girl – the spiritual leader of the Alpine Clan – surrounded by a diverse entourage. (…) Not without a touch of irony, he presents an alternative to the existing order – one might recall the medieval festival culture that overrided hierarchical structures, as still rudimentarily preserved in Bavarian carnival celebrations. Herein lies his subtle artistic strategy, in which he raises complex questions for discussion rather than offering one-dimensional answers.

The exhibition is on view from 27 November 2025 until 19 April 2026. It was co-curated by the Staatliche Graphische Sammlung München (State Graphic Collection Munich).

Robotic Worlds

At this historical turning point, the exhibition focuses on the human perception of robots as well as their actual form and function. It presents outstanding robots and robot toys from around 1960 to the present day. These exhibits demonstrate both the human fantasies and utopian worlds associated with robots, and the diverse implementations and designs of functional robots.

The exhibition is on view from 28 November 2025 until 28 November 2027. It is a collaboration with Prof. Gordon Cheng and the Chair of Cognitive Systems at the Technical University of Munich.