Tierische Typen. Animalische Biografien vom Rheinwal bis zum Nachbarshund

In the organizer's words:

For centuries, historiography was unthinkable without great personalities. The deeds of great kings, emperors and their generals were sung about in hymn-like texts. It was only a few years ago - far too late - that the great protagonists of history were included in the canon. However, the achievements of those "heroes" and "heroines" would not have been possible if an army of unnamed men and women had not fought or toiled for them. One group was always criminally neglected: the animals.

They worked themselves to death in the mines, died by the millions on the battlefields and also served as lapdogs for the powerful. In the process, humans destroyed - almost incidentally - the livelihoods of the supposedly weaker creatures. It has long been time for a change of perspective. Because from the mass of nameless creatures, a few creatures stand out, some of which are still making a name for themselves centuries later thanks to their achievements.

These animal types make all the difference. The beluga whale in the Rhine is one such dazzling personality. It set off from the North Sea in the spring of 1966 and reached Duisburg for the first time on May 18 of that year. Here it swam close to the water's surface and showed the onlookers on the shore the environmental destruction caused by heavy industry: the white animal was covered all over with dark waste oil. A merciless hunt for the whale began. Stun guns, nets and even bows and arrows were used in an attempt to get hold of it. The pretext was the environmental catastrophe in the Rhine caused by human activity: because the pollution had made animal life impossible there, the beluga lacked food. Instead, it was to be given a new "home" in the zoo. However, the plan did not work out and "Moby Dick" returned to the open sea on June 16.

The "Animal Characters" exhibition at KSM Duisburg aims to change the way we look at animals. It uses great personalities from the animal kingdom to reflect on human actions through the centuries. The rigid boundary between nature and culture is dissolved. It becomes clear: Without the animals, we would have lost our grounding long ago.