The threat of doom and an apocalyptic mood characterize our internet-based, medialized era, but the fear of annihilation is not a new phenomenon. Doom’s day prophecies, in various forms, are a part of human history.
The exhibition Apocalypse: From Last Judgement to Climate Threat takes the viewer on a journey through end-of-the-world fantasies, prophecies, dystopian critique of society – and magnificent artworks oozing of angst and creative desire. Featuring a broad selection of paintings, sculptures, video works and prints in a dramatic setting, it presents the art history of doom from the Renaissance until today.
Renaissance and Baroque depictions of the Last Judgement are shown alongside evocative Romantic scenes of destruction, the ominous images of Symbolism, modern dystopias and science fiction. In the exhibition, you will also find contemporary works treating subjects such as the climate crisis, the threat of war, the accelerating technological development and AI. The focus lies on Western art, with a special emphasis on the Nordic countries and Europe.
Collection meets Contemporary
Remarkable artworks from the Museum’s own collection meet contemporary art and significant loans from European museums, including works by the Romantic artists Johan Christian Dahl and John Martin, the Symbolists Ferdinand Hodler and Evelyn De Morgan, and international stars such as Georg Baselitz and Anselm Kiefer. Contemporary artists like Anna von Hausswolff, IC-98 and Cajsa von Zeipel are represented with audio works, videos and sculptures.
Visions of a New Era
The art history of doom is far from pitch black – there are also glimpses of light. The exhibition includes post-apocalyptic, brighter future worlds and visions of a new era. In the creative desire triggered by the notion of the end of the world, one also finds hope for a more humane world, something to cling to in troubled times.
Research Projects as a Starting Point
The exhibition is based on two research projects. From Pompeii to Fukushima: Time, intermediality and transregional imaginaries in disaster discourse (Anders Ekström et al.), which examines the mediation of disasters from the spectacular theater of the 18th century to today’s news imagery, and Religion and the Natural Sciences in Early Modern Scandinavia (Håkan Håkansson), which explores, among other things, the role of apocalyptic prophecies in the intersection of science and religion in 16th- and 17th-century Europe.
The exhibition is a part of Riksbankens Jubileumsfond’s research-facilitating project RJ Art and Culture, with the aim to make the humanities and social sciences more accessible to a broader public.