In “Garden of Tomorrow”, Hannes Schauer transforms abstraction into a site of reflection and renewal. Against the backdrop of global uncertainty - the pandemic, the war in Ukraine, the climate crisis, the accelerating rise of AI, and the erosion of trust in our shared systems - Schauer turns to the metaphor of the garden as a space of utopia, humility, and resilience. 

Gardens are places of both impermanence and promise: they bloom, wither, and regenerate, reminding us of the transience of human life while offering solace, beauty, and continuity. They demand patience, trust, and care - the very qualities most endangered in a world of fractured communication, deep fakes, and political polarisation. In Schauer's vision, the garden becomes not only a metaphor for inner states and emotions, but also a stage on which humanity's relationship with the Earth, with technology, and with each other can be reimagined. 

Across twenty-two abstract paintings, Schauer builds a vivid and layered terrain where natural rhythms and human gesture intertwine. Working on canvases placed on the floor, he pours, splashes, and guides water and pigment into flowing compositions, sometimes allowing gravity and chance to shape their evolution, other times intervening with bold brushwork and unexpected colour juxtapositions. These movements echo the turbulence of weather systems and the slow alchemy of soil - humus becoming ground for new life. 

The result is a series of works alive with energy and tension: vibrant flora seem to unfurl in dreamlike hues of yellow, pink, and blue, while fractured compositions suggest the precarious balance between untouched nature and human intervention. In this body of work, the human figure is absent. Instead, Schauer poses a quiet yet radical question: What might the world look like if our presence were less exploitative and more attuned to the rhythms of the Earth?

Neither nostalgic nor didactic, “Garden of Tomorrow” offers a vision of coexistence that resists despair. By foregrounding the splendour of existence itself, Schauer invites viewers to imagine futures where humility and hope can take root. Exhibited in Dubai alongside COP28, the series stands as both a meditation and a reminder: the promises we make to the planet must be matched by action - before the garden withers beyond repair.