How to see Venice 1984

Lothar Baumgarten made this installation, "How to see Venice", to explore our relationship to the built environment and to question the ways in which culture is constructed and perceived. The installation's images of Venetian architecture, devoid of human presence, invite us to consider Venice not as a romantic tourist destination but as a site of historical and cultural complexity. The stark black and white photography removes the city from its familiar, colorful context, prompting a deeper look at its architectural forms. Made in an era of increasing globalization, Baumgarten's work challenges the art world's institutional practices, asking us to consider how places become culturally significant through representation and display. He prompts us to consider whose Venice we are seeing, and who controls the means of its cultural production. To fully appreciate Baumgarten's critique, one could delve into histories of urban development, travel literature, and the curatorial practices of museums. Art becomes meaningful when it is seen in its full social and institutional context.