Of Objects, Fields, and Mirrors

According to international and national press from the last few months, a young art scene has emerged between the Swiss cities Geneva, Lausanne, Basel and Zurich, that has been characterised as ‹fresh›, ‹exciting›, and ‹innovative›. Originated in the context of exhibition spaces and platforms that are run, amongst others by the artists themselves, like Forde, Darse and Hard Hat in Geneva, Circuit in Lausanne, New Jerseyy, Vrits, Galen, and Radio Arthur in Basel, Paloma Presents as well as the commercial gallery Karma International in Zurich. These initiatives shared interest is their outstanding network that they use both as basis and starting point for fast and decided international operating. Showroom as a mobile exhibition space with a postal adress in Basel can be listed as exemplary for this acting: between 2006 and 2009 they realisied projects in various constellations in different European cities.

The exhibition Of Objects, Fields, and Mirrors brings together for the first time a selection of representatives of these scenes in one space. It is not about showing one scene, but to spread, what is been reflected, thought about, discussed, and formulated, and how can it be understood and judged. Wheter there is such a phenomenon as a shared one.

For the exhibition at Kunsthaus Glarus, the guest curatoris Daniel Baumann and Maja Wismer have attempted to embrace thecurrent tendencies of what seems to be happening in Switzerland at the moment and therefore present one, their own overview. For this they gather approximately 22 young artists. Furthermore that address ideas of reflection and object. Formative ideas for them are context and concept, both as defined by art discourses of the 1960s and ’90s, but also as efficient means for the analysis and definition of the artist’s role in contemporary society.

The exhibition will occupy the whole Kunsthaus. It is the wish of the curators to show more than single pieces by the artists, especially since most of them are unknown, and therefore be able to give more space to different positions and to be able to contextualise different approaches. Works on view employ camouflage and ideas of performance, exaggerating and experimenting with style and pose in ways that undermine or reflect on established artistic mores. On the one hand, choice of material, the use of codes, and a firm control of language play an important role in the featured works, as do flawless production and clean surfaces, which variously affirm, criticize, or mirror today’s society. On the other hand, the hints of despair found in the oversaturation of imagery, references, and manipulative techniques are used by the artists to reflect on both their own situation and on society’s. Of Objects, Fields, And Mirrors is interested in this world of artficiality, of play and metaphors, a world of multiplication, that doesn’t withdraw from complexity of our time, but approaches it with curiosity, delight, and a certain amount of distance.