Kunstmuseum Schloss Derneburg is pleased to announce a new iteration of the group exhibition, THE PASSION: Redux, which focuses on Christian iconography and biblical narrative in contemporary art. Installed throughout the cloister of the former monastery, the show first opened in 2017 in recognition of Schloss Derneburg’s ecclesiastical history. THE PASSION: Redux draws extensively from the Hall Collection and includes approximately 125 works by various artists which highlight the drama inherent to Christian narrative, while considering earnest, eccentric, solemn and sardonic approaches to these subjects today.

Originally a fortified dwelling dating back a thousand years, Schloss Derneburg was for centuries an ecclesiastical property and home to various orders of nuns and monks, primarily under the aegis of the Bishop of Hildesheim. By the early 18th century Derneburg had become a large and successful Cistercian monastery, and the current structures date from this time – although now somewhat transformed after a subsequent period of secularization and private use.

THE PASSION: Redux focuses overwhelmingly on figuration. The crucifixion is well represented in a photorealistic, life-size sculpture by John De Andrea, a monumental group of paintings by Georg Baselitz that document the stations of the cross, as well as a large sculpture made of wood and plaster by Rachel Feinstein. The appropriation of images from art history featuring biblical narrative includes contributions from Dahn Vo (Ghetti, Caravaggio, Gentileschi), Marisol (Mantegna), and Jacqueline Salmon (Van Der Weyden, Bosch, Cranach).

Exhilarating pairings of old and new media may come as a surprise to some visitors. Four recently restored, 15^th century altar panels by the Master of the Hildesheim Madgalene Legend will join Damien Hirst’s Rehab is for Quitters (1998-99), a kinetic sculpture comprised of glass, steel and aluminum. Both works are driven by corporeal morality, despite a span of centuries between their creation. The exhibition similarly pairs a 13^th century wooden Catalonian crucifixion with contemporary interpretations of the cross by Gerhard Richter, Richard Artschwager, and Yoshimoto Nara. While some uses are formally concentrated, others are satirical, including a self-portrait by Martin Kippenberger as a crucified frog.

The exhibition is presented alongside a long-term, permanent display by the Austrian artist Hermann Nitsch, who installed the rooms himself in 2011. Sited within the remaining fragment of the building’s old church, this presentation of paintings, drawings, sculpture and large scale, multi-component installations, honors the work of the Viennese actionist who passed away in 2022.

THE PASSION: Redux is complimented with an accompanying exhibition, THE PASSION: Works from the Hall Collection, presented at the Dommuseum in Hildesheim from 14 March – 1 June 2025, which incorporates important loans of work by artists such as Niki de Saint Phalle and Gilbert & George within their permanent collection.

THE PASSION: Redux includes work by: Richard Artschwager, Georg Baselitz, Francesco Clemente, John De Andrea, Rachel Feinstein, Eric Fischl, Dan Flavin, Lucio Fontana, Master of the Hildesheim Magdalene Legend, Damien Hirst, Jonathan Horowitz, Martin Kippenberger, Manfred Kuttner, David LaChapelle, Robert Longo, Marisol, Anne Minich, Otto Muehl, Yoshitomo Nara, Helmut Newton, Justin Liam O’Brien, Raymond Pettibon, Jack Pierson, Arnulf Rainer, Gerhard Richter, Jacqueline Salmon, Andres Serrano, Tony Tasset, Bill Viola and Danh Vo, among others.

For more information and images, please contact the Hall Art Foundation’s administrative office at info@hallartfoundation.org.

The exhibition is only accessible by guided tour.