"Light in view - photography in the work of Heinz Mack"

In co-operation with the MACK FOUNDATION, the ZERO foundation is showing an exhibition to mark the ninety-fifth birthday of Heinz Mack.
Heinz Mack's photographic work is virtually unknown to the general public. The exhibition organised by the ZERO foundation in collaboration with the MACK FOUNDATION therefore focuses for the first time on this medium, which the artist largely regarded as documentary. But there are exceptions, which can be seen in this exhibition: Heinz Mack has been taking photographs since his youth. As early as the 1940s, he explored the rural surroundings in which he grew up, where he saw and photographed structures that fascinated him. This was possible because his uncle worked for the Leitz company and already had a Leica camera at the time. These early photographs demonstrate Heinz Mack's interest in aesthetic phenomena, which have been reflected in his distinctive artistic style since the 1950s/60s. These become visible in the exhibition through early drawings and pastels owned by the ZERO foundation, which also provide insights into the artist's structural vision. The large-format C-print Diasec photographs and the black and white photo collages refer thematically to the ephemeral art actions of his monumental and utopian "Sahara Project", consisting of sand reliefs, wings, cubes, mirrors, sails and monumental light steles. By experimenting with the light of the desert, among other things, he created abstract light paintings that capture the aesthetic appeal of a natural spectacle or the result of his perpetual attempts to make light visible in an artistic way - free public guided tours take place on the first Saturday of every month at 11 a.m.
We would like to thank the Friends of the ZERO foundation Düsseldorf e.V. for funding the project.

Exhibition duration: 14 March to 13 June 2026