The exhibition "Civilization: The Way We Live Now" presents a sweeping photographic exploration of contemporary global society. Showcasing the work of over 100 photographers from around the world, it investigates the complexities and interconnections of modern life. It uses powerful photographic storytelling to highlight how humanity now functions as a globally interconnected “hive”.
Drawing on the idea of photography as both a “mirror” and a “window”, the exhibition leans toward the latter by documenting a wide spectrum of societal themes, both functional and dysfunctional, ranging from domestic life and leisure to pollution and social alienation. The photographers included in the exhibition critique and reflect on our highly technologized and urbanized civilization, using imagery to interrogate both its marvels and contradictions. While rooted in documentary practice, the exhibition avoids didacticism, allowing the photos themselves to form the narrative and provoke thought.
The exhibition is organized into eight thematic sections: Hive, Alone Together, Flow, Persuasion, Escape, Control, Rupture, and Next. Each chapter captures a different aspect of collective existence. In Hive, viewers confront chaotic urban expansion through images like Philippe Chancel’s aerial view of Dubai’s disjointed skyline and photos of urban sprawl. Alone Together explores urban isolation, highlighted by Benny Lam’s haunting portraits of Hong Kong’s subdivided flats. Flow reflects on mobility and infrastructure, from Jeffrey Milstein’s airport shots and Alex MacLean's near-abstract photo of shipping containers to Alejandro Cartagena's photos of laborers hitching a ride in the back of a pick-up truck.
Other chapters continue this thematic exploration. Persuasion dissects the power of media and advertising, exemplified by photos of New York’s Times Square and shopping malls in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Escape examines leisure as a collective ritual, often tinged with irony, as seen in Massimo Vitali’s crowded beach scenes. Control shows the invisible yet powerful infrastructures that enforce order, with Luca Zanier’s eerily vacant shots of political institutions. Rupture exposes environmental and social breakdowns.
Finally, Next turns toward the future, focusing on technological advancements and the unpredictable direction of civilization. From autonomous machines to space travel, the images capture our fascination with innovation and the anxieties it brings. Throughout all eight chapters, the exhibition offers a diverse, global perspective on 21st-century life, encouraging reflection on how photography can serve as both witness and critic of human progress. With over 200 photographs from every continent, the show underscores the paradox of a homogenized global culture shaped by collective forces, celebrating humanity’s achievements while cautioning against their consequences.
The exhibition "Civilization: The Way We Live Now" was previously shown in Seoul, Beijing, Melbourne, Auckland, Marseille, London and Taipei and will continue its journey at the Museum für Gestaltung in Zürich from 26 Fabruary until 26 July 2026. The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue published by Thames & Hudson. The Munich installment is also accompanied by a catalogue in the form of a magazine.
Civilization: The Way We Live Now is at the Kunsthalle Munich until 24 August 2025.