Switzerland at the 54th International Art Biennale in Venice in 2011
Bern, 13.05.2011 - The Federal Office of Culture will organise both of Switzerland’s official contributions to the exhibitions at the 54th International Art Biennale in Venice in 2011. At the proposal of the Federal Arts Commission, the Federal Office of Culture has invited artist Thomas Hirschhorn and curator Andrea Thal to each prepare an exhibition project on behalf of Switzerland for the Venice Biennale. The Biennale opens to the public on Saturday 4 June.
The exhibition entitled "Crystal of Resistance" by Thomas Hirschhorn will be open at the Swiss Pavilion in the Giardini on the Biennale premises until 27 November. The project entitled "Chewing the Scenery" under the curatorship of Andrea Thal will take place in and around the Teatro Fondamenta Nuove (Cannaregio) until 2 October.
For further information www.bak.admin.ch/biennale
Thomas Hirschhorn: "Crystal of Resistance"
Thomas Hirschhorn will stage his exhibition entitled "Crystal of Resistance" at the Swiss Pavilion. The basic theme of the exhibition is crystal in all its beauty, precision and openness. Thomas Hirschhorn seeks to find a form for the concept of crystal that provides new, unprecedented inspiration. The notion of truth is a central idea to Thomas Hirschorn’s exhibition – truth that is capable of resisting facts and opinions. For Thomas Hirschhorn art is about creating form and confronting this form with the factual world; he sees art as a form of resistance, as resistance per se.
www.crystalofresistance.com
Thomas Hirschhorn
The Swiss artist Thomas Hirschhorn, was born in 1957 and studied at the Zurich University of the Arts. He lives and works in Paris. Thomas Hirschhorn has shown his work in exhibitions worldwide including: Skulptur Projekte, Münster (1997); Venice Biennale (1999); Centre Pompidou, Paris (2001, 2005, 2007); Documenta 11, Kassel (2002); Tate Modern, London (2003); Centre Culturel Suisse, Paris (2004); Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston (2005); P.S.1, New York (2006); 27th São Paolo Biennale (2006); Secession, Vienna (2008); K21, Düsseldorf (2010); The Power Plant, Toronto (2011); Kunsthaus Aarau (2011).
Press event and vernissage
Thomas Hirschhorn will talk about his work and present the exhibition at a public press event at the Swiss Pavilion on Thursday, 2. June 2011, at 3 p.m. Thomas Hirschhorn will open the exhibition in the presence of Federal Councillor Didier Burkhalter, Head of the Federal Department of Home Affairs, on Friday 3 June 2011, at 5 p.m.
Publication "Thomas Hirschhorn. Establishing a Critical Corpus"
The Federal Office of Culture is issuing a publication entitled "Thomas Hirschhorn. Establishing a Critical Corpus" in relation to the exhibition. In its 368 pages, the publication contains texts by Claire Bishop, Sebastian Egenhofer, Hal Forster, Manuel Joseph, Yasmil Raymond and Marcus Steinweg, as well as 463 images and photographs. The publication is published by JRP/Ringier, Zurich (ISBN 978-3-03764-185-9) and the price in bookshops is: CHF 45.-- / EUR 32.--.
Andrea Thal: "Chewing the Scenery"
The presentation "Chewing the Scenery" by curator Andrea Thal, which is the second official contribution from Switzerland to the Biennale, will take place in and around the Teatro Fondamenta Nuove in Cannaregio. "Chewing the Scenery" is a multi-part project, with various elements that have either been produced ahead of the Biennale or will be created and developed during the exhibition. In terms of content, the presentation deals with delays, jumps and interruptions, anachronisms and dissonances as a basis for discussions about the alleged past, potential future and assumed present in time-based art. In addition to a film installation and a installative dramatization, events including screenings, lectures, performances, concerts and debates will be held in the Teatro Fondamenta Nuove for the opening in June and in mid-September. A publication relating to the presentation is set to appear in three reworked editions.
www.chewingthescenery.net
Andrea Thal
Andrea Thal was born in 1975 and studied photography and visual arts at the Zurich University of the Arts and the Slade School of Fine Art in London. Since 2006, she has been running the independent art space "Les Complices*" in Zurich. In 2009, Andrea Thal received the Swiss Art Award for curators.
Press event and vernissage
Andrea Thal will give an introduction to the project and she and the artists will take questions from the press on Friday, 3 June 10 a.m. The exhibition will be opened with a breakfast attended by Federal Councillor Didier Burkhalter, Head of the Federal Department of Home Affairs, at 10 a.m. on Friday 3 June 2011.
Teatro Fondamenta Nuove
Opening hours: Tuesday – Sunday, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. (closed on Monday)
A film installation by Pauline Boudry / Renate Lorenz featuring the two films: "No Future" and "No Past" is being permanently screened here for the entire duration of the exhibition (until 2 October).
At the same time, a installative dramatization called "Deviare – Vier Agenten – Part of A Movie" by Tim Zulauf/KMUProducktionen will be performed every day at indicated times.
Performance times:
- 31 May, 4 to 6 p.m. (4 loops)
- 1 June, 10 to 11 a.m. (3 loops); 4 to 5:30 p.m. (3 loops)
- 2 June, 10 to 11:30 a.m. (during the press event); ); 4 to 5:30 p.m. (3 loops)
- 3 June, 10 to 11:30 a.m. (opening breakfast); 4 to 5:30 p.m. (3 loops)
- 4 June – 2 October, every day except Mondays: 4 to 6 p.m. (4 loops)
Events at the Teatro Fondamenta Nuove
Saturday 4 June 2011, 8 p.m.: "Chewing the Scenery – Live!", with:
- a presentation by Antke Engel ("Chewing the Scenery – Reading the Cud")
- Lecture Performance & Screening by Uriel Orlow ("Aide-Mémoire (2010-11)")
- Concert by Mary Ocher (introduced by MOTHER)
- Fred Hystère & Ginger Drops Downstairs DJ Kollektiv
- Wednesday – Saturday, 7-10 September 2011: the programme will follow at www.chewingthescenery.net
Publication "Chewing the Scenery"
A publication entitled "Chewing the Scenery" will appear in three reworked and extended editions. It contains artistic contributions by Maria Iorio / Raphaël Cuomo, Uriel Orlow and Eran Schaerf as well as texts by Ann Cvetkovich, Mathias Danbolt, Antke Engel, Patricia Purtschert and Rubia Salgado. The publication is produced in collaboration with Anna Frei and Georg Rutishauser at edition fink. It is available at the Biennale, in bookshops and directly from the publisher edition fink (ISBN 978-3-03746-152-5 ).
Information about the Biennale
Representatives of the international press will have free access to the Biennale site and to other exhibition venues in Venice for a preview from Wednesday, 1 June, to Friday, 3 June 2011. For information about accreditation go to: www.labiennale.org.
Opening hours of the Giardini, Arsenale and Teatro Fondamenta Nuove during the exhibition until 27 November 2011, every day except Mondays: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Address for enquiries
Anne Weibel, Head of Communications, Federal Office of Culture
Tel. +41 31 322 79 85, anne.weibel@bak.admin.ch
Dr. Urs Staub, Head of the Museums and Collections Section, Federal Office of Culture
Tel. +41 31 322 92 70, urs.staub@bak.admin.ch
Dr. Andreas Münch, Head of the Art Service, Federal Office of Culture
Tel.: +41 79 508 18 29, andreas.muench@bak.admin.ch
Hans-Rudolf Reust, President of the Federal Art Commission
Tel. +41 79 215 83 29, hreust@bluewin.ch
Andrea Thal, Curator of “Chewing the Scenery”
Tel. +41 76 367 83 73, andrea@lescomplices.ch
Publisher
Federal Office of Cultural Affairs
http://www.bak.admin.ch
