Utopics is the title of the 11th Swiss Sculpture Exhibition (Schweizerische Plastikausstellung, SPA), taking place in the Swiss town of Biel/Bienne from August until October 2009. The first edition of this event goes back to 1954. Since 1980, sculpture isn’t the exclusive medium anymore, and with this years edition, the notion of art in the public space comprises all disciplines and forms of expressions. The organizers refer to the Sculpture Projects Münster (Skulptur Projekte Münster) as exhibition project with a similar concept.

Utopics presents 50 installations and interventions throughout the city. The participants are mainly artists, but also creators of micronations, representatives of atypical communities or associations. The title of the exhibition, Utopics, comes from a free contraction of the words utopia, you, topic, topos, and pics. The artistic director of Utopics is Simon Lamunière. Since 2000 he is the curator of Art Basel’s Art Unlimited, the art fair’s section for monumental artworks.

In this video, Gerhard Mack, correspondent of the German art magazine Art – Das Kunstmagazin, reviews the show (in German language). He especially takes a look at the works of Nedko Solakov, Andreas Golinski and Gerda Steiner & Jörg Lenzlinger.

Utopics, 11th Swiss Sculpture Exhibition (Schweizerische Plastikausstellung, SPA), Biel/Bienne, Switzerland. Professional Days, August 28/29, 2009.

PS: Review by Gerhard Mack at Art – Das Kunstmagazin (in German).

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