„Scheint Durch Dringend“ – Dioramas from Oliver Westerbarkey

Dioramas from and after Nature and Other Works by Oliver Westerbarkey
In collaboration with rasso rottenfußer, with the support of deepblue, der Erwin und Gisela von Steiner Stiftung und der Gesellschaft der Freunde des Botanischen Gartens e.V.

Oliver Westerbarkey’s works suggest that while nature may exist without humans, humanity cannot exist without a relationship to its environment.

Those who pass through the gate of the Winter Hall in the Botanical Garden to visit this exhibition step into another world. Oliver Westerbarkey creates landscape scenes using natural materials such as soil, branches, stones, and plants. His life-sized dioramas generate an entirely new sense of space. Westerbarkey invites viewers to question and rediscover their perception of nature and its representation in art. By drawing attention to the small objects we so often overlook in everyday life, the artist also encourages reflection on the ecological system as a whole.

What Are Dioramas?

Dioramas are artificially created, three-dimensional scenes that depict natural, everyday, or landscape motifs. They provide an almost perfect illusion of spatial depth and realistic presence. Often used in museums – featuring miniature figures, for example – they serve to vividly represent historical events or natural habitats.

The term originates from Greek: dia means “through” and horama means “that which is seen.” Literally translated, “diorama” means “view through” or “see-through,” describing a window into another reality.

About the Artist

Munich-based artist Oliver Westerbarkey, born in 1969 in Constance, studied sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich, completing his master’s degree in 2005. His nature dioramas are assembled using acrylic dispersion, painted, and spatially integrated. Rather than being precise reproductions of real landscapes, his works open up a space for interpretation between reality and abstraction. What appears most alive in his pieces is, in fact, the most artificial.

Instagram @oliver_westerbarkey
Photo: Oliver Westerbarkey working on his piece Clearing. © Oliver Westerbarkey

Admission

Standard: 5.50 € | Reduced: € 4 €
Free admission for children under 18 years and students over 18 years.
More information: Opening Hours & Tickets
Please present valid proof of eligibility at the entrance.

Location

Winterhall of the Botanical Garden Munich-Nymphenburg
Menzinger Straße 65
80638 München
Phone: 089 17861-321
E-Mail: botgart@snsb.de
Website: botmuc.snsb.de