News
Art & Adventure with Judith Neunhäuserer
We are delighted to welcome this year’s artist, Judith Neunhäuserer, to Art & Adventure. From 2 to 6 March 2026 she will be our guest in the Kleinwalsertal, working with the 4th grade of the Mittelberg primary school.
In her project, Judith Neunhäuserer literally sets stones rolling with the children. The starting points are Stone Age finds, fossils and animals that once existed and have since vanished. These traces of the past spark the imagination and invite reflection on time, change and nature. We look forward to the ideas and works that will emerge.
With Art & Adventure we want to help children stay curious and develop their own ideas. Through artistic work, playful inquiry and the exploration of nature and materials, they learn to ask questions, discover connections and try new things. Art creates an open space for imagination, exchange and shared learning — skills that will accompany children today and in the future.
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Archive
2025
Artist in Residence Judith Neunhäuserer
Judith Neunhäuserer was Artist in Residence at the Karl Max Kessler Archive in 2025. The internationally active artist lives in Munich and works at the intersection of science, religion and myth. During the residency she engaged with the photographic legacy of Karl Max Kessler and developed new perspectives on the archive material.
More information: www.judithneunhaeuserer.info
Exhibition at the Naturhotel Chesa Valisa
In summer 2024 and winter 2025, the Karl Max Kessler Archive presented selected photographs from its historical holdings at the Naturhotel Chesa Valisa. The exhibition offered insights into the landscape, everyday life and history of the Kleinwalsertal. Workshops and Sunday evening presentations with Bettina Kessler were also held on request.
Cinema at the Naturhotel Chesa Valisa
In winter 2025, the Karl Max Kessler Archive screened historical film footage of the fox hunt at the Naturhotel Chesa Valisa. The presentation offered insights into local traditions and complemented the photographic archive with the medium of film. The evening invited guests to remember and share together.
👉 More about our film projects: https://fotokessler.org/film/
Exhibition at the Westallgäu Heritage Society
In May and June 2025, the Karl Max Kessler Archive presented the special exhibition “The Kleinwalsertal 1907–1970 – Photographs by Karl Max Kessler.” The exhibition took place as part of the Westallgäu photography exhibition and documented the social, economic and scenic transformation of the Kleinwalsertal through historical black-and-white photographs.
Christina Elsaesser – Live Drawing
On 10 May 2025, Christina Elsässer accompanied the “Fantasie” concert by the Riezlern brass band at the Walserhaus Hirschegg with live drawing. The artist translated music into drawings in real time, making sound visible.
Art & Adventure: Hubert Dobler realises an art project with the 4th grade in Riezlern
As part of the 2025 artist residency, Hubert Dobler worked with the 4th grade of the Riezlern primary school. Together they created a sculpture that combined artistic work with play, movement and team spirit. The project is part of the Karl Max Kessler Archive’s ongoing educational work.
More information at www.dobler.us and fotokessler.org.
2024
128 Years of Skiing in the Kleinwalsertal – Sport & Mode Kessler
On 3 December 2024, the Karl Max Kessler Archive presented a photo exhibition with a digital talk in Riezlern to mark the 10th anniversary of Sport & Mode Kessler. Historical photographs traced the development of skiing — from hand-made skis from 1896 to early ski tours, lifts and rescue operations.
Exhibition at the Naturhotel Chesa Valisa
In summer 2024 and winter 2025, the Karl Max Kessler Archive presented selected photographs from its historical holdings at the Naturhotel Chesa Valisa. Alongside the exhibition, workshops and Sunday evening presentations with Bettina Kessler were held on request, giving guests insights into the archive and its stories.
Gold Rush in the Kleinwalsertal
In October 2024, the New York artist David Brooks realised the project There’s Gold in Them Thar Hills. The large-format billboard at the Kanzelwand addressed the economic view of alpine landscapes and the loss of wintry snow worlds in the context of climate change. The project was complemented by presentations at the Walserhaus Hirschegg.
The Naturhotel Chesa Valisa
Photo exhibition by the Karl Max Kessler Archive
In winter 2025, the Karl Max Kessler Archive showed selected photographs from the historical archive at the Naturhotel Chesa Valisa. The exhibition gave guests insights into the landscape, everyday life and history of the Kleinwalsertal and was complemented by accompanying presentations.
Inverted Worlds
A collaborative art project with schoolchildren that connects photography, nature and creativity in the Kleinwalsertal.
On 10 June 2024, the Karl Max Kessler Archive unveiled a billboard at the Bohrhalde in Riezlern featuring an artwork created together with schoolchildren. The project combines photography, the experience of nature and creativity, and is part of an annual art initiative with the Kleinwalsertal primary school.
2023
Discovering the Past
Insights into the Karl Max Kessler photo archive with the photographer and historian Arno Gisinger at the Walserhaus Hirschegg.
In September 2023, the Karl Max Kessler Archive presented its historical photographic holdings to the public for the first time at the Walserhaus Hirschegg. The guest was Arno Gisinger, who had worked with the archive during an artistic residency and presented his research findings.
2021 – 22
Start of the digitisation of our archive
The start of digitisation marked a key step in the work of the Karl Max Kessler Archive. Since 2021, the historical glass negatives have been systematically cleaned, secured and digitised in high resolution. The goal is to preserve the photographic heritage in the long term and make it accessible for exhibitions, research and education.