Anja Schindler

The first major installation can be found in the Gothic Hall. With her installation, Anja Schindler ties in with the former use of this room: Created around 1500, the hall was used as a court library in the 17th century. A large and extremely precious collection of books was stored here. The zodiac signs on the ceiling of the room still bear witness today to the former arrangement of books according to areas of knowledge. A special treasure of the library was the Gottorf Codex. This is a four-volume plant and flower atlas from 1649/59 with 1180 plant illustrations. Anja Schindler recalls this with her plant drawings preserved in oil on old documents and the fruits and plant parts preserved in jars. Many of her drawings have delicate threads hanging out, making them appear organic and symbolizing the "connectedness of all things" (Anja Schindler).

From the mid-17th to the early 18th century, the Gottorf Art and Curiosity Cabinet was housed in the adjacent rooms. Duke Friedrich III and Adam Olearius, his court librarian and advisor on all scientific matters, founded this once famous collection. For almost 300 years, it has no longer been in Gottorf but in Copenhagen. Such an encyclopedic and universally designed collection of precious, curious, and rare objects from art, science, and nature - often originating from distant countries - was a special prestige project. The Baroque princes and scholars also hoped to gain insights into nature and life here. Art and curiosity cabinets are also considered the precursors of today’s museums. Anja Schindler interprets this collection of objects and knowledge about the world with a wealth of diverse treasures, inviting viewers to gain their own insights.

Anja Schindler’s Gottorf works are characterized by the recurring theme of her engagement with plants and their remnants. In the 17th century, the garden located north of the castle, the now reconstructed Baroque garden, enjoyed great fame. In the midst of the Thirty Years’ War, Duke Friedrich III commissioned his court gardener Johannes Clodius with this facility from 1637, which his successor Duke Christian Albrecht expanded splendidly by four terraces from 1660 onwards. The garden was particularly special because of the botanical rarities collected here. It formed the lively counterpart to the Duke’s art and curiosity cabinet. Both arose from the pronounced scientific interests of Friedrich III and Christian Albrecht as well as from Baroque collecting passion. Anja Schindler was inspired by the species once planted there and brought them into the castle in dried and blue-transformed form: Some of the precious faience vases and flower plug boxes of the 18th century from the museum collection thus temporarily regain their historical function and at the same time transform into contemporary sculptures.

Anja Schindler is fascinated by the rich history of the former Gottorf residence, one of the cultural centers of Northern Europe in the 17th century. With her installations, she bridges the gap between the Baroque era and today, reminding us of this court where emphasis was placed not on war, but on arts and sciences.