In 1954, Wilhelm Ganss, a self-taught botanist and grammar school teacher known as Frater Ingbert, created the first map of the orchids in his adopted country (Die Orchideen Liechtensteins [The Orchids of Liechtenstein]).

Less than seventy years later, one of the protagonists, the early spider orchid, is now extinct in Liechtenstein. Based on Ganss's essay, an artistic, literary search began for the extinct plant, accompanied by discussions with Mario Broggi and Hans-Jörg Rheinberger, who reflect on the reasons and consequences of this disappearance at a scientific level.


Project space 'Parliament of Plants'
17 July 2020–17 January 2021

As part of the exhibition Parliament of Plants, the admission-free 'Seitenlichtsaal' is conceived as a changing, growing "project space". It links the immediate outside world with questions of art and will enablemeetings between a wide range of scientific and artistic-poetic approaches to and perspectives on the plant kingdom.

A production of Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein, curated by Christiane Meyer-Stoll with Annett Höland, co-curator of the project space.

More pictures to this exhibition

  • Anna Hilti / Die Wesentliche Eigenart aber liegt in der Blüte
    Photo: Sandra Maier
  • Anna Hilti / Die Wesentliche Eigenart aber liegt in der Blüte
    Photo: Sandra Maier
  • Anna Hilti / Die Wesentliche Eigenart aber liegt in der Blüte
    Photo: Sandra Maier
  • Anna Hilti / Die Wesentliche Eigenart aber liegt in der Blüte
    Photo: Sandra Maier
  • Anna Hilti / Die Wesentliche Eigenart aber liegt in der Blüte
    Photo: Sandra Maier
  • Anna Hilti / Die Wesentliche Eigenart aber liegt in der Blüte
    Photo: Sandra Maier
  • Anna Hilti / Die Wesentliche Eigenart aber liegt in der Blüte
    Photo: Sandra Maier