It was called „white gold“: salt shaped the entire Salzkammergut region and is still an important commodity today, leading some to prosperity and some to wealth. Water and wood are also determining factors; without them there would also be no salt production.
But salt and water are also vital for our bodies. Our organism consists of 65% water and requires a daily ration of at least five grams of salt. Without it, there would be no life.
Salt and water are actually enemies, devouring and dissolving each other, doomed to exist symbiotically until perhaps they are separated again in a brewhouse.
sudhaus is the central art exhibition of the Capital of Culture. With international and supra-regional participation of renowned artists, a highly broad spectrum of themes is presented, introduced by documents from regional history. With different facets and approaches, the themes of salt and water are presented in the form of objects, sculptures, installations, film, photo and sound works. One part of the show refers to the conference „Water is the Gold of the Future“, which deals with burning problems such as disappearing glaciers and the increasing water shortage worldwide.
- Gottfried Hattinger