HAMBURG.- After decades of being presumed lost, a remarkable piece of art and intellectual history has been brought back to life in Hamburg. The Planetarium Hamburg officially opened "Image Collection on the History of Astral Belief and Astrology" on June 21, a didactic exhibition originally conceived by the influential Hamburg art historian Aby Warburg for the Planetarium's inauguration in 1930.

The exhibition, which will run until August 24, offers a unique journey through humanity's age-old fascination with the cosmos. It was rediscovered in 1987 by Uwe Fleckner, then an art history student, who stumbled upon 66 forgotten image panels and artifacts in a pile of discarded items at the Planetarium. Now, meticulously re-curated by Fleckner, these historical materials are on display for the first time in the Planetarium's impressive Boiler Room, specially opened for this occasion.

Warburg's original vision, realized with his close collaborators Gertrud Bing and Fritz Saxl, explored our "ever-present human need to look up at the sky to understand our relationship with the cosmos." The collection of artifacts and photographic reproductions visually narrates how, throughout history, humanity has sought "to interpret and explain the stars and their mysterious movements." The current installation, featuring an elliptical architectural design by José Délano, subtly illustrates the ongoing oscillation in our understanding of the universe, bridging mythical imagery with symbolic and mathematical interpretations.

"We are dealing with a hidden treasure here," states curator Uwe Fleckner. "Few material testimonies keep Aby Warburg's work and activities alive in the memory of his hometown. Rediscovering it is one of the most urgent and rewarding cultural policy tasks for the Hanseatic city."

Beyond its historical significance, the exhibition also serves as a springboard for contemporary artistic dialogue. A series of new works by artists including Eske Schlüters, María Edwards, Raqs Media Collective, and KITE are presented within the Boiler Room, with additional pieces located in the adjacent Stadtpark. These contemporary responses extend Warburg's ideas, probing connections between the magical and the rational, the spiritual and the factual, and examining the "planetary as a social and political category" as we contemplate our shared existence on Earth.

This exhibition marks the launch of "From The Cosmos to the Commons," the inaugural program by Hamburg's City Curator, Joanna Warsza. This five-year initiative, sponsored by Kunsthaus Hamburg, will annually focus on one of the five elements—Cosmos, Fire, Air, Earth, and Water. The 2025 program, dedicated to the Cosmos, includes not only the Warburg exhibition but also contemporary art shows at Kunsthaus Hamburg and in the Stadtpark, along with a symposium at the Warburg-Haus, fostering a broad exploration of our relationship with the universe.

For those in Hamburg, "Image Collection on the History of Astral Belief and Astrology" offers a rare opportunity to connect with a rediscovered legacy and engage with profound questions about humanity's place in the cosmos.