As part of its interdisciplinary exhibition series on scientific and socially relevant topics, the Bundeskunsthalle is conceiving an exhibition on the question of the ecological restoration of land. This is being done in close cooperation with the UNCCD (United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification), which has launched an initiative to restore one billion hectares of land worldwide by 2030. The exhibition uses the perspectives of art and science to raise public awareness of this urgent issue. The exhibition will take place at the end of 2024 to mark the 30th anniversary of the UNCCD.

Land is a crucial foundation for life on this planet. Soil is the life-supporting link between the Earth's climate and biological diversity and provides a variety of different ecosystems that need to be restored and preserved. However, as an agricultural and industrial base, land is at risk of devastating overuse, with half of humanity already affected by the negative impacts of land degradation. Land, in all its meanings for our lives, must be put back at the centre of our trade in order to curb the economic and social overexploitation of land resources.

In order to raise public awareness of this important issue, the exhibition uses the latest media technology and combines exhibits from art, cultural history and natural science in order to understand the ecological problems and potentials of the human-influenced environments: (1) the city, where 57% of all people live, (2) the land areas used by industry and agriculture, and (3) the world-wide areas of still almost untouched nature, which are of central importance especially for the world climate. The exhibition not only enables a rational understanding of the importance of land for all of our lives, but also an immersive experience of the different habitats. Accompanied by an augmented reality guide, visitors can tangibly experience and explore the topic of "land" in a panorama cinema and various interactively designed environments. Far from a dark vision of the future, the exhibition aims to focus on a positive narrative that inspires action for the common cause: Let us unite locally as well as globally to save land and thus lives of all kinds!

An exhibition by the Bundeskunsthalle and the UNCCD-G20 Global Land Initiative to mark the 30th anniversary of the UNCCD.