Ötzi20: Special Exhibition on 20 years of science, media and mysteries surrounding the Iceman in Bozen/Bolzano (1 March 2011 to 13 January 2013)

Marking the 20th anniversary of his discovery, the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology in Bozen is from 1 March 2011 to 13 January 2013 dedicating a Special Exhibition to Ötzi, the Iceman. The Museum will also be presenting the new reconstruction of Ötzi at the opening of the exhibition.

On 19 September 2011 the Iceman celebrates 20 years of his second life. People all over the world watched on in amazement two decades ago as the intact body of a man from the Copper Age, along with his clothing and equipment, was recovered from a glacier in the Ötztal Alps where it had been preserved for 5,300 years. Long after his death, Ötzi, Iceman, now holds humans in his spell with ever more insights into his life and death. Over three million people have so far visited Ötzi in the museum, while numerous scientists have examined him. The South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology in Bozen is thus this year dedicating the special exhibition “Ötzi²⁰ - Life. Science. Fiction. Reality” to Ötzi. The exhibition will run from 1 March 2011 until 13 January 2013.

The special exhibition occupies 1,200 m², the entire exhibition area of the museum building: four floors, each devoted to one of the topics life, science, fiction and reality, will illuminate the full range of his discovery, the circumstances of his life, the results of the research and the media reality and fictions that have grown up around him. Interactive stations as well as films, interviews and hands-on displays guarantee an educational experience that is both exciting and entertaining.

The exhibition for the first time intends to analyse Ötzi above and beyond this scientific aspect. What image of him has developed? What role do the media play in this? What phenomena have arisen around Ötzi and what unusual results has all this produced? The answers to these questions allow visitors gradually to get closer to him.
New scientific discoveries and discussions will also be contributed to the Ötzi²⁰ exhibition throughout the year. What secrets will the latest research methods reveal? Ötzi²⁰ is not just a retrospective, it is also a snapshot that asks questions about the future. As a window into our archaeological past and as a social sensation, the Iceman will provide us with food for thought for a long time to come.

One of the most frequently asked questions today remains: what did Ötzi look like?
For the opening of the exhibition the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology will be presenting to the public a new reconstruction of Ötzi, based on anatomical 3D images of his skull. The Museum commissioned the Dutch brothers Adrie and Alfons Kennis to create a new, naturalistic reconstruction based on scientific principles. His watchful gaze today meets visitors to the Museum, shaping our conceptions of the Stone Age inhabitants of the Alpine regions. Ötzi gives our history a “face” in the truest sense of the word, moving and fascinating people from all over the world.

The German photographer Heike Engel (21Lux) documented the work of the Kennis brothers over half a year and recorded the entire reconstruction process for the South Tyrolean Museum of Archaeology. Her close co-operation with the twins, revealed in a series of photos, makes their masterful handiwork seem almost close enough to touch. Her photos give viewers the feeling of actually being present in the artists’ studio.

Since his discovery, numerous artists have addressed the subject of Ötzi in the most different disciplines and techniques. One representative is the British artist, Marilène Oliver, whose installation in the special exhibition plays with the multifaceted nature of the mummy. In her work “Iceman Frozen, Scanned and Plotted”, Oliver translated a CT scan of the body into plot points, then drilled them layer for layer into acrylic sheets and fused them together into a block.
The South Tyrolean photographic artist Brigitte Niedermair has searched all over Europe for the “Image of Ötzi” that exhibitions have created of him. Her “Tableau Vivant” of large-scale photos records numerous reconstructions of Ötzi in very different contexts and interpretations.
The Museion, Bozen’s museum for modern and contemporary art, will for the duration of the entire special exhibition be showing the work by Hans Winkler entitled “Ötzis Flucht” (Ötzi’s flight), an archaeological crime thriller featuring Ötzi’s (fictitious) tracks.

The anniversary year will also feature numerous visitor events. Ötzi²⁰ is not simply an exhibition: alongside the “17.31 Blick.Punkte” events with the main players (curators, planners, scientists, technicians) and workshops on various topics, there are also various initiatives aimed at the 60-plus generation. The Museum will also be offering guided tours for residents who are interested in other languages or have moved to the city from elsewhere, in languages such as Bosnian-Serbo-Croatian, Urdu, Hindi, Russian, Ukrainian and Spanish. And on 19 September – the day that the man from the ice was discovered – there has been a major birthday celebration for Ötzi.
For current information on the events surrounding Ötzi²⁰, the special exhibition at the South Tyrolean Museum of Archaeology, go to http://oetzi20.it.

The official companion publication to the special exhibition, “Ötzi 2.0 – Eine Mumie zwischen Wissenschaft, Kult und Mythos (A Mummy between Science, Cult and Myth)”, is now available for sale: in German from the Theiss Verlag publishing house in Stuttgart, in German and Italian in Italy from the Folio publishing house (Vienna/Bozen).

National Geographic Germany will be accompanying this wide-ranging exhibition as an official media partner.
The special exhibition receives the financial support of the Südtiroler Sparkasse Foundation.

Visitor response and extension of the exhibition: The feedback we received about the exhibition on the second floor shows that the overwhelming majority of visitors are enthusiastic about Ötzi²⁰. Museum director Angelika Fleckinger greeted the 200,000th visitor to the exhibition on 13 October – six and a half months after it opened. A Swiss couple who were holidaying in South Tyrol drew the lucky ticket. Thanks to resounding success with the public, the special exhibition, which was due to close on 15 January 2012, will be extended by a full year to 13 January 2013.

Photos: media may download images of the special exhibition, the Iceman and the exhibition logos free for press purposes from the Museum web page at www.iceman.it/de/fotoarchiv. The images are free of charge provided copyright is duly acknowledged: © South Tyrolean Museum of Archaeology /name of photographer.

Information:
Katharina Hersel and Kunigunde Weissenegger
Press office
South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology
Via Museo 43
I-39100 Bolzano
Italy
phone: ++39-0471-320114
eMail: press@iceman.it
web: www.iceman.it
blog: www.oetzi20.it