1978-

Both the six-part series “Today after tomorrow. An approximation of two more or less distant realities” and four-part group of works titled “Coccinellidae“ from 2005/06 stem from Margret Weber-Unger’s interest in the “order of nature.” Visiting the Vienna Museum of Natural History, the young artist was not so much interested in individual, spectacular manifestations of nature. What really fascinated her was nature as a whole and how people try to make sense of it. The scientific revolution of the nineteenth century marked the beginning of efforts to systemize the incredible diversity of nature. Collecting and ordering things implied a certain understanding. Giving what appeared to be chaotic, a structure was seen as a way to gain control over something intractable. The results of these efforts can be found in scientific collections all over the world. 

Margret Weber-Unger observes and takes a stand. Visible reality has just as much weight as the hidden one. By means of the instruments at her disposal she tries to re-create natural proportions. Referring to the Übermorgen series, she stated: “Animals are reconquering their space!” And she even allowed the ladybug, which had been robbed of its individualism by human intervention, to reappear in new splendor by emphasizing its uniqueness. Both pieces shed a humorous and critical light on the not always so harmonious co-existence of man and animal. 

-Alexander Giese