05/11/2026
👀 𝗔 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂: 𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 "𝗦𝗽𝗶𝗲𝗴𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗶"? What we see isn't always what it seems. Our brain tells us what we're looking at, but sometimes it's just not that. And that's exactly what interests artist Markus Hofer, as he told us yesterday. So, here's the 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗚𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀: Can you also find the "Schlüsselblume" and the "Pflanzenschutz" in the artworks? (Answers in the comments, so we don't spoil the fun here!)
But first things first. What happened yesterday? We opened our new Art & Science exhibition with artist 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝘂𝘀 𝗛𝗼𝗳𝗲𝗿 and scientist Peter Ertl, and the conversation got pretty lively.
For instance, Peter Ertl was puzzled that in the artworks, more liquid seems to flow out of the objects than would be physically possible. Markus Hofer’s answer: it’s like with people – you always get more than what you see at first glance. And, artistically speaking, it’s also about a certain "feeling", he said. While scientists would never call it that, as Peter Ertl emphasized, he still knew exactly what was meant. After all, he said, becoming a good scientist also means making mistakes and learning what doesn't work.
At the heart of the conversation was something that concerns both art and science: perception. Markus Hofer is interested in the gap between what our brain tells us we're seeing and what's actually there – in other words, visual hypotheses.
And it's a challenge scientists know all too well, as Peter Ertl pointed out: "Scientists also have a big challenge: getting behind their hypotheses and not seeing what they expect or want to see. But this is how true innovation comes about."
It was a wonderfully thought-provoking evening, full of wit, charm and wisdom – and, of course, wonderful art.
🔗 Learn more about our Art & Science program: https://csh.ac.at/events-news/art-science/
