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Julius Von Bismarck

JULIUS VON BISMARCK

This is not the storm Australian Centre for Contemporary Art | ACCA 17 April–14 June 2026 Melbourne
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Press Release

ACCA is pleased to present This is not the storm, the first Australian solo exhibition by German artist Julius von Bismarck. Spanning kinetic sculpture, photography, and ambitious video installations, this exhibition brings together more than two decades of work, much of it never before seen in Australia. With wry humour and a sharp critical edge, von Bismarck challenges our habitual understanding of the world, teasing apart the idea of “nature” as a social construct.

This is not the storm showcases the breadth of von Bismarck’s practice, characterised by research-driven experimentation across physics, technology, and the social sciences. Whether channelling the power of raging forest fires, turbulent seas, or hurricanes, von Bismarck engages with elemental forces that defy human control. His work plays with the dual sensations of awe and terror provoked by natural phenomena, offering poetic yet unsettling meditations on perception, scale, and agency.

From transformed everyday objects to large-scale investigations in remote or extreme locations, von Bismarck probes our understanding of reality and questions our relationship with the environment. In doing so, he signals the disastrous consequences of humanity’s domination of the natural world – prompting us to reconsider the systems that have brought us here.

Julius von Bismarck (b. 1983, Breisach am Rhein) lives and works in Berlin.

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About the Artist

Julius von Bismarck is a German conceptual artist best known for technologically driven installations and interventions that examine how perception, power, and images shape our understanding of nature and reality. Working across installation, sculpture, video, and performance, he often uses scientific instruments and engineering to manipulate environmental phenomena, from storms and landscapes to urban infrastructure. His projects and series, including Image Fulgurator (2007), Some Pigeons Are More Equal Than Others (2010, with Julian Charrière), and Egocentric System (2015), have been presented at institutions such as Berlinische Galerie, Palais de Tokyo in Paris, and The Power Plant in Toronto. In 2026, ACCA in Melbourne will host a major solo exhibition dedicated to the artist.

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About the Gallery

The Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (ACCA) in Melbourne, Australia, is a flagship contemporary art space located in the Southbank Arts Precinct. Housed in an award-winning rust-red building designed by Wood Marsh Architects, ACCA has become an architectural landmark and a key destination among Melbourne cultural attractions. Established in 1983 and relocated to its purpose-built home in 2002, the organisation plays a pivotal role in the city’s contemporary art ecology and wider public life.

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111 Sturt Street
Southbank
Melbourne
Australia
Opening Hours
Tuesday - Friday: 10am - 5pm

Monday by appointment
(1)
Melbourne 111 Sturt Street, Southbank
Australian Centre for Contemporary Art ACCA contemporary art institution in Melbourne Australia
Australian Centre for Contemporary Art | ACCA
111 Sturt Street, Southbank, Melbourne, Australia
+61 3 9697 9999
http://www.accaonline.org.au

Opening hours
Tuesday - Friday: 10am - 5pm

Monday by appointment
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