Here and Now. Und die Ferne wird zur Nähe (2014)
Perla-Mode & Winterhalder Areal, Zürich
An exhibition co-curated with Camille Jamet
in collaboration with Natalie Keppler
with works by Nino Baumgartner, Livio Casanova, Carlo della Chiesa, Christoph Eisenring, Jonas Etter, Patrícia Flores und André Masseno, Gilles Furtwängler, Bettina Grossenbacher, Ariane Koch und Sarina Scheidegger, Annaïk Lou Pitteloud, Esther Mathis, Raoul Müller, Nicolas Raufaste, Darren Roshier, Benedikt Terwiel und Marlon Wobst, Lena Maria Thüring, Sebastian Utzni, Angela Wüst
Maybe the true magic of friendship lies in this invisible, undefinable in- between — the established ties through which we touch each other without touching.
We shared laughs, we revealed our insecurities, we talked and listened, we argued, we made up, we played, and most importantly: we wasted time together.
It is the moments in which we sit in silence, wasting time, and knowing what the other is thinking.
If we can make two immovable spaces become friends and the in-between become a route of exchange of experiences and feelings, could experiences and feelings also cross the ocean someday?
One Exhibition. Two places. Simultaneously.
In Zurich, 21 artists from Antwerpen, Basel, Bern, Biel, Berlin, Vevey and Zurich will build an invisible bridge between the two artist-run spaces Perla-Mode and Winterhalder Areal.
The audience can decide to visit both or just one space, but they will always feel the presence of the distant other.
Exhibiting at two geographically separated locations mimics the hectic simultaneity of our globalised world, reflecting the impossibility of catching every ongoing event at once. We have greater access to information than ever before, but can barely manage the flood of images, text,and news presented to us. From this, some develop a desire for less stimulation and more reflection. The exhibit therefore represents our contemporary state, yet also offers the audience a place to rest, as we focus on the here-and-now of the spaces.
Close friends often have a sense of closeness despite physical distance, sometimes even having similar, simultaneous thoughts while apart. How do these intimate bonds form? Can two spaces foster such a relationship? The artists are on a quest to answer these questions. The artists and curators will collaboratively build a relationship between the two spaces through various gestures, like live performances, walks and audio broadcasts, in the months before and during the exhibition.
We occupy the two houses with the spirit of the other location; sometimes through visible, other times through invisible means. We focus primarily on the invisible nooks: Between demolition and usage, between Perla-Mode and Winterhalder-Areal, between human being and space. The nature of the buildings lends itself to this venture: both are for temporary use and therefore already reside in a state of liminality.
Supported by Ernst und Olga Gubler-Hablützel Stiftung, Dr. Georg und Josi Guggenheim-Stiftung, Erna und Curt Burgauer Stiftung, Migros Kulturprozent, Stadt Winterthur, Ville de Vevey Service Culturel, Stadt Zürich Kultur und Kanton Zürich Fachstelle Kultur
Photos © Tamara Janes, Esther Nora Mathis 2014