Linz Castle Museum

Wolves and humans: a difficult relationship

Mona Horncastle created a successful exhibition with great animal scenes(Bild: Dostal Harald)

The return of wolves to Austria is causing heated debate. Nevertheless, the wolf is a noble animal, the ancestor of our best friend - the dog - and in many cultures a symbol of high intelligence and strength. The exhibition "From Power Animal to Fear Animal" at Linz Castle is well worth seeing and sheds light on the many facets of the animal in a non-judgemental way.

It couldn't be more topical: Two "high-risk wolves" have just been released for shooting in Upper Austria. Of course, it is worrying when the animals come too close to settlements.

But the fear of wolves is much older. "We are investigating the question of where the fear comes from," says art historian Mona Horncastle. She curated the remarkable exhibition "From power animal to fear animal. A cultural history of the wolf."

View of the exhibition(Bild: Dostal Harald)

Friend and foe
The exhibition begins 80,000 years ago, when the fateful partnership between humans and wolves began. While our nomadic ancestors still had a cooperative relationship in the Stone Age, the relationship later became difficult because the predator threatened animal husbandry in agriculture - an issue that is flaring up again today with the return of the wolf.

The show offers natural and cultural knowledge: We also shed light on the positive effects of the wolf on our ecosystems.

Kuratorin Mona Horncastle

In earlier times and in fairy tales, the wolf was literally "demonized". Deborah Sengl denounces this with a sculpture.(Bild: Dostal Harald)

In the Punch and Judy show, the wolf is of course a must, and is often man's good buddy.(Bild: Dostal Harald)

Always a subject of art
At the same time, the wolf is a spiritual symbol in many cultures, a bearer of myths and a "power animal". The exhibition "From Power Animal to Fear Animal" (until September 1) presents the best art by Deborah Sengl, Valie Export and Kiki Smith, among others. The exhibition also courageously reveals how the werewolf myth and the "demonization" of the wolf by the church developed. A successful approach to the ancestor of our dogs, which has a lot to offer both nature lovers and art fans.