Vernissage: Thu, 12 Sep → 19:00 The work "Third Nature" by Jan Stradtmann is a photographic approach to the historical event of the Vajont dam disaster in northern Italy in 1963. After the construction of the dam wall and the flooding of the reservoir, part of the Monte Toc mountain collapsed. The mass of rubble and stone filled the reservoir within a few seconds. The resulting wave quickly flooded villages and towns, killing many people. The dam itself remained undamaged. Despite previous warnings and the knowledge of possible landslides, the supposed flagship project was realised.

"Third Nature" (created between 2015 and 2023) consists of 170 photographs and archive reproductions. Jan Stradtmann's works are able to convey a poignant impression of the history of Vajont, in which man and nature are confronted in an Old Testament manner, through impressive lighting conditions - in combination with well-composed image details of still lifes, landscape motifs and portraits. Jan Stradtmann's solo exhibition at the goldene Pforte gallery shows a selection from "Third Nature". In addition, the newly published book by Fw:Books (Amsterdam) entitled "CALAMITA/À. An investigation into the Vajont catastrophe" will be presented during the exhibition. "Third Nature" is part of the CALAMITA/À project, an interdisciplinary artistic project dealing with the Vajont dam catastrophe.

gold talk with book presentation
Thu 24 Oct → 20:00
In an informal discussion, we will talk about the current exhibition, its content, as well as artistic approaches and techniques. Questions from the audience are always welcome! Live at the Gallery goldene Pforte and on Instagram.