DAS MINSK is the latest project of the Hasso Plattner Foundation. Located in Potsdam, southwest of Berlin, the new exhibition space presents modern and contemporary art, as well as art from the former GDR, in new contexts. This catalogue for the two inaugural exhibitions links two artists from the Hasso Plattner Collection: GDR painter Wolfgang Mattheuer and Canadian photographer and filmmaker Stan Douglas. As the exhibitions direct their gaze to nature and the urban landscape of Potsdam, the volume presents familiar and novel perspectives on their work, complemented by a wide range of viewpoints on the motifs of landscape and (allotment) gardening in art. Beyond art theoretical voices, the book also features numerous experts addressing the socio-political dimensions of the subject-matter.

WOLFGANG MATTHEUER (1927–2004) is one of the co-founders of the Leipzig School. As a critical observer of his time, his works bear witness to an ever-changing environment and society.

STAN DOUGLAS (*1960) is considered one of the most important representatives of contemporary media art. His films and photographs have been shown in major international exhibitions since the early 1980s. In 2022 he will represent Canada at the 59th Venice Biennale. He lives and works in Vancouver and Los Angeles.