Light is what we see

18 Jul — 9 Nov 2025 at the Albertina Museum in Vienna, Austria

11 August 2025

Brigitte Kowanz, Light is what we see, exhibition view. Courtesy of Albertina Museum

The question, »What is light?« stands at the center of Brigitte Kowanz’ oeuvre. Her answer is: »Light is what we see«—an allusion to the paradoxical fact that light makes everything visible but itself normally remains invisible. The eponymous retrospective at the Albertina guides viewers through works created by this important artist since the 1980s.

Light, characterized by ephemerality, boundlessness, and immateriality, plays a leading role in this exhibition. Her light-based artworks, shown in custom-created mirrored spaces, are reflected an infinite number of times or made visible to begin with through the employment of black lights.

Also on exhibit will be the iconic works Morsealphabet and Email 02.08.1984 03.08.1984, which anticipate the present-day themes of digitization, virtualization, and the information society.

Albertina Museum

The Albertina museums profile and focus rest on three pillars: First, the palace with its neoclassical staterooms and their original interior decoration; second, the operation of a modern museum housing seven principal collections; and, third, the exhibition program based on these collections and devoted to the pioneers of art history, from the Renaissance to the present day.

Museum profile

Location

Vienna, Austria

Founded in

1920

Brigitte Kowanz, Light is what we see, exhibition view. Courtesy of Albertina Museum
Brigitte Kowanz, Light is what we see, exhibition view. Courtesy of Albertina Museum
Brigitte Kowanz, Light is what we see, exhibition view. Courtesy of Albertina Museum

Brigitte Kowanz, Light is what we see, exhibition view. Courtesy of Albertina Museum
Brigitte Kowanz, Light is what we see, exhibition view. Courtesy of Albertina Museum
Brigitte Kowanz, Light is what we see, exhibition view. Courtesy of Albertina Museum