Extinction Story — Claudia Larcher

with the support of Phileas – The Austrian Office for Contemporary Art
and the Austrian Cultural Forum Milan

The exhibition Extinction Story offers a complex and captivating perspective on Claudia Larcher’s video installation, which addresses the theme of species extinction with both delicacy and power. The project unfolds as an intimate and transformative narrative, where personal memory intertwines with a reflection on human impact and our relationship with nature.

At the heart of the work lies an extraordinary collection: around 4.500 eggs of European birds gathered by the artist’s grandfather, Josef Schreiber, beginning in 1899 and ended in 1989 (the first documented fund is from 1936), after bird-egg collecting had already been banned across Europe. This family archive, passed down through generations, becomes the core of a story that investigates the human obsession with possession and the cataloguing of the natural world. Driven by an almost compulsive passion for birds, Larcher’s grandfather sought rare specimens with fervor that was as scientific as it was personal. His research was meticulously documented in diaries, photographs, and other materials that today bear witness to the consequences of human intervention.
The irony of the story lies in the fact that these very documents, born from a relentless pursuit, perhaps also to fill the void left by the loss of a child, ultimately contributed to the fight against extinction, while at the same time being part of the problem.

Larcher’s video Extinction Story examines the relationship between humanity and biodiversity, exploring the delicate boundary of personal experience. The new work, produced and exhibited for the first time by Recontemporary in Turin between November 26, 2025, and January 17, 2026, combines archival materials, collected objects, post-digital visual language, and multiple narratives to metaphorically awaken the “voices” of extinct species and rediscover the artist’s own. The project is enriched by a simulated birdsong through a collection of 25 wooden bird whistles. The exhibition set up itself, designed in collaboration with Giorgia Mirabella (The Secret Home Torino), plays a crucial role, transforming the space into an environment where art, science, and technology converge, with thematic wallpapers and sculptures recreating the atmosphere of a modern Wunderkammer.

Recontemporary’s decision to host Extinction Story stems from its commitment to promoting internationalization and new productions. Larcher’s work, with its experimental and interdisciplinary approach, enters the global dialogue on urgent environmental issues and introduces a new way of reinterpreting and activating archives.

The project was made possible through collaboration with Phileas – The Austrian Office for Contemporary Art, an Austrian fund that supports artistic production and promotes the international visibility of Austrian artists and institutions. This partnership has helped give the work a global dimension, highlighting the role of art in raising awareness of the environmental challenges we face.

Thanks to:
City of Vienna, Kulturamt Vorarlberg, and Giorgia Mirabella (The Secret Home – Torino)