Groundwater is our elixir of life, but at the same time it is also a fascinating habitat where around 500 species of animals roam. Water fleas, ostracods or bristle worms - most people have no idea about this mysterious underwater world: the majority of living creatures are invisible to the naked eye.

The interactive exhibition showcases the graceful beauty of the animals, as well as the formation of groundwater and its threats posed by humans. Developed by the Senckenberg Museum of Natural History in Görlitz, the exhibition is complemented by site-specific information about the Hanover site. Numerous interactive media stations, hands-on models, animations, and a virtual submarine ride through the caves of the Groundwater World provide an exciting experience for young and old.

How do images of women shape our lives and how are our lives influenced by them? Julia Krahn has been dealing with the challenges of human existence, the obstacles that must be overcome and the strengths that emerge from them for over twenty years. This exhibition is less about representations of women and more about the images we create in our heads.

The focus is primarily on constant change and the question of whether something is really changing or whether the old pictures are not just returning in an endless cycle. In order to find an answer to this, the artist's works in the exhibition are paired with selected masterpieces from the collection of the Landesmuseum Hannover. Historical oil paintings and contemporary photographs - at first glance they may seem so different, but when they meet, a dialogue emerges that only unfolds its full power through the audience.

In addition to the arms and drug trade, the illegal market for cultural goods is an ever-present challenge for the countries of South America. The business with the relics of the past has been flourishing for decades: illegally excavated pre-Columbian objects are sold specifically to tourists, middlemen smuggle them across national borders, and this is how they often end up in Western museums. Demand for them is a key factor that helps maintain the long tradition of illegal excavations (»Huaqueo«). The »Huaqueo« ranges from the time of the Spanish invasion to the heyday of collecting in the 19th and 20th centuries. Against this background, the provenance of pre-Columbian objects must always be critically questioned - this applies to early collections as well as to current acquisitions.

The WechselWelten exhibition "Status Quo Museum? A Puma Between Worlds" approaches this topic on a micro level: The starting point is the biography of the "Puma of Tiahuanaco". The figure was illegally acquired in 1971 at the Tiahuanaco archaeological site in Bolivia, exported to Germany and donated to the Landesmuseum Hannover in 2023. The stations of the puma on its way to the museum are traced in order to raise awareness of the often problematic origins of pre-Columbian objects. At the same time, a space is created to discuss the future of the "Puma of Tiahuanaco" and comparable objects.

Until March 2025 in the Alternate Worlds, at the end of the Human Worlds!

The quarterly program for the months January to March 2025 offers a varied program for children, families and adults.

Since the 1860s, Impressionism has blown like a breath of fresh air from France across the entire continent - and stirred up the art world of the European north. In collaboration with the Dutch Museum Singer Laren and the Museum Art of the West Coast Alkersum/Föhr, the Hannover State Museum shows how the peculiarities of the important art movement were reflected in the works of the Danish, Dutch and German artists and were implemented into their own, country-specific variations .

Around 100 high-quality paintings and oil studies, depicting atmospheric moods and fleeting snapshots, testify to original themes, fresh coloring and a novel painting technique of the Nordic Impressionists - among them important representatives such as Anna Ancher, Isaac Israels, Johan Barthold Jongkind and Peder Severin Kroyer. In this country, the “triumvirate of German Impressionism”, Max Liebermann, Max Slevogt and Lovis Corinth, represent the style with outstanding works. In the seven subject areas Light, beach, country, winter, city, garden and Travel The exhibition shows the differences and similarities between the artists.

The Art Worlds are growing: the altars of the Middle Ages and the art of the Renaissance are now being followed by the masters of the Italian and Dutch Baroque. In three newly designed rooms with a fresh color concept and spacious spatial architecture, the Art Worlds offer a new perspective on the Old Masters.

In the 17th century, Italy became a major travel destination for European nobility and artists. Rome in particular captivated artists such as Nicolas Poussin and Claude Lorrain, who stayed and completed their works there after their arrival. At the European royal courts, Italian painters such as Bernardo Bellotto and Giovanii Pellegrini were in great demand, which illustrates the close connection between Italy and the rest of Europe.

Antwerp was dominated by masters such as Peter Paul Rubens, Anthony van Dyck and Jacob Jordaens, who not only dealt with religious and ancient subjects, but were also sought after as portrait painters at the European courts. At the same time, a free art market grew and new genres such as still life and landscape paintings emerged.

The northern Netherlands also experienced a cultural and economic boom. The art, painted by masters such as Rembrandt, Pieter Lastmann and Jan van Bijlert, reflected society's fascination with the beauty of the world and the pleasure in one's own prosperity. The enormous increase in landscape painting in the Netherlands in the 17th century is particularly striking. These not only invited people to immerse themselves in idyllic natural scenes, but also - like the magnificent still lifes - encouraged people to think about the cycle of life.

Interventions from other collections, such as a headdress with bird of paradise feathers from New Guinea, historical wax fruit models from around 1900 or butterfly specimens, complement the exhibited works of art and create overarching perspectives.

In addition to the classic audio track, the MediaGuide for the KunstWelten also offers audio descriptions for visually impaired and blind visitors as well as videos in German sign language.

The renovation of the KunstWelten is funded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and Media (BKM), the Lower Saxony Ministry of Science and Culture (MWK), the RHH Foundation, the Lower Saxony Foundation and the Lower Saxony Savings Bank Foundation. Individual educational offers in the KunstWelten are funded by the Hanover Monastery Chamber and the VGH Foundation. The redesign is supported by the Friends of the Hanover State Gallery.

Further information about the KunstWelten is available here.