The Back of the Treasure

Group Exhibition
Galerie im Körnerpark, Berlin, 2025

The Back of the Treasure
On the Epistemology of the Cabinet of Curiosities

The cabinet of curiosities has become outdated and is no longer adequate for addressing the diversity and interconnectedness of contemporary art. And yet, it represented a quasi-cognitive state of its era, in which various objects were continuously accumulated from their initially chaotic state and organized into typologies.

In exploring this question, “The Throne of the Grand Mogul” (the Treasure) by Johann Melchior Dinglinger from the Grünes Gewölbe in Dresden is especially notable. The legendary collection, which was founded by Augustus the Strong of Poland and Saxony in 1723, is known for its incomparable wealth of treasures. This extraordinary piece displays an opulent installation on the front, while its back features an imaginary Orientalist scene executed in a coarse technique. Its involuntary eloquence demonstrates how the painter explored the virtual and the real.

Created under the influence of the patronage ruler Augustus the Strong in 18th century Saxony, it reflects a time when an enormous power driven by encyclopédisme technique (Gilbert Simondon) began to take over the world. This also marked a turning point from the traditional system of knowledge once held exclusively by groups such as craftsmen towards an explosion of accessible knowledge, unmasking its mystery. In this context, the cabinet of curiosities’ strong emphasis on materiality evokes a non-material dimension. Chaos, emptiness and darkness, as cosmological notions resonate with the sloppy yet open treatment of the backside of the Treasure.

This group exhibition utilizes the distinctive architectural characteristics of the gallery to create a spatial parcours referencing an infinite mirror reflection, providing possibilities for epistemological interactions. The 3D model of the Treasure, presented at the exhibition’s entrance, becomes a reincarnation of the original artifact. With a digital avatar of Dinglinger himself, the historical materiality is transformed into a neutral model in virtual space — similar to those commonly used in gaming — where the back of the Treasure opens to new conversations with contemporary artists.

Text by curator Jiaxing Chao

Participating artists: Esteban Azuela, Mariana Castillo Deball, Miguel Covarrubias, Ce Jian, Irene Kopelman, Yuki Okumura, Simon Starling, Simon Wachsmuth, Ming Wong & Yu Cheng-Ta, Natalia Zagorska-Thomas

Curatorial assistance: Ce Jian

Images 1-3, 5-6 by Jiaxing Chao and Benjamin Renter