In 2005, Swiss artist Christoph Büchel converted the Kunsthalle Basel into a labyrinth that led to a hall with the remnants of an exploded excursion bus. The exhibition walkthrough we filmed was one of the first videos we published – the second episode, in fact. After this initial encounter with Büchel’s work, VernissageTV filmed several of his other works and installations, such as the gigantic “Simply Botiful” at Hauser & Wirth in London. We thought it’s time to revisit this show, because it was one of the reasons to start VernissageTV.

This is the third episode in our new series r3 that highlights the treasures of VernissageTV’s huge archive. R3 is a series of VernissageTV classics, now re-mastered, re-edited and reissued in High Standard Definition (well, we didn’t have an HD cam yet).

PS: Here’s the original version.

> Right-click (Mac: ctrl-click) this link to download Quicktime video file.

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At Art Basel Miami Beach 2007, Hauser & Wirth presented Christoph Büchel’s installation “Training Ground for Training Ground for Democracy, 2007″. The installation is a scaled-down version of the aborted work for the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art MASS MoCA. It consists basically of a shipping container and includes original Florida voting booths, Arabic propaganda films, a bomb, a ladder to climb the container’s roof, bad food, and lots of other stuff. According to The Art Newspaper it sold for $250,000 to the Flick Collection and is to be installed at the Hamburger Bahnhof museum in Berlin. Art Basel Miami Beach, December 5, 2007.
PS: If you want to know more about the dispute between MASS MoCA and Christoph Büchel we recommend Roberta Smith’s article in The New York Times or just google “training ground for democracy”.
PPS: For more videos about Christoph Büchel’s work click here.

> Right-click (Mac: ctrl-click) this link to download Quicktime video file.
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Christoph Büchel was born 1966 in Basel, Switzerland. Buchel studied at the University of Art and Design, Basel, at Cooper Union School of Art, New York, and at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf. In 2000-2001 Christoph Buchel was awarded a scholarship at PS1, New York. In 2005 he collaborated with Gianni Motti at the Venice Biennale. He lives and works in Basel. The exhibition Christoph Büchel: Simply Botiful runs through March 18, 2007. Hauser & Wirth Coppermill, October 13, 2006. Part 3/3.
> Click image to watch quicktime video in new movie window.
> Right-click (Mac: ctrl-click) this link to download video file.

Related Articles:

• Christoph Büchel: Simply Botiful / Hauser & Wirth Coppermill / part 2/3
• Christoph Büchel: Simply Botiful / Hauser & Wirth Coppermill / part 1/3
• Christoph Büchel: Hole / Kunsthalle Basel

Swiss artist Christoph Büchel works in a variety of media, including film, printed materials, sculpture and textiles, though he is perhaps best known for his conceptual projects and large-scale installation pieces… Büchel’s complex installations force his audience to participate in scenarios that are physically demanding and psychologically unsettling… Gallery visitors to Büchel’s 2005 installation ‘Hole’ at the Kunsthalle Basel were forced through small rooms connected by constricted passageways and steep ladders. (PR H&W). The exhibition Christoph Büchel: Simply Botiful runs through March 18, 2007. Hauser & Wirth Coppermill, October 13, 2006. Part 2/3.
> Click image to watch quicktime video in new movie window.
> Right-click (Mac: ctrl-click) this link to download video file.

Related Articles:

• Christoph Büchel: Simply Botiful / Hauser & Wirth Coppermill / part 3/3
• Christoph Büchel: Simply Botiful / Hauser & Wirth Coppermill / part 1/3
• Christoph Büchel: Hole / Kunsthalle Basel

A major exhibition by Swiss artist Christoph Büchel titled “Simply Botiful” is the second exhibition at the gallery Hauser & Wirth Coppermill in London’s East End. Coppermill, a 25,000 square ft industrial building, is Hauser & Wirth’s second London exhibition space. It provides a vast platform for ambitious large scale projects. The inaugural exhibition presented German artists Martin Kippenberger and Dieter Roth. The exhibition Christoph Büchel: Simply Botiful runs through March 18, 2007. Hauser & Wirth Coppermill, October 13, 2006. Part 1/3.
PS: Check out the walkthrough at Hauser & Wirth website.
> Click image to watch quicktime video in new movie window.
> Right-click (Mac: ctrl-click) this link to download video file.

Related Articles:

• Christoph Büchel: Simply Botiful / Hauser & Wirth Coppermill / part 3/3
• Christoph Büchel: Simply Botiful / Hauser & Wirth Coppermill / part 2/3
• Christoph Büchel: Hole / Kunsthalle Basel