The Sunrise Sings is the title of a group exhibition at Tarmak22 in Gstaad that shows works by six young artists with ties to Switzerland: Charlotte Herzig, Kaspar Ludwig & Ambra Viviani, Gil Pellaton, Claudia Comte, and Katrin Niedermeier. The show is presented by Tarmak22 and the Art Institute, FHNW Academy of Art and Design in Basel. Curated by Chus Martínez, the exhibition forms part of an exploration of nature through the curriculum of the Art Institute. This video provides you with an exhibition walk-through and an interview with Chus Martínez.
The Sunrise Sings. Charlotte Herzig, Kaspar Ludwig & Ambra Viviani, Gil Pellaton, Claudia Comte, Katrin Niedermeier. Curated by Chus Martínez; curatorial assistance: Albertine Kopp. Tarmak22, Gstaad (Switzerland), September 23 & 28, 2020.
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From the press release:
It is essential to reflect on the different issues surrounding nature, to care about it, to feel and identify that nature is not an “other,” but rather just the same as we are. For centuries, artists have been trying to propose this simple exercise to us humans, but many other things came first; history, production, and capital, followed by the construction of cities, and then culture as a possession of the urban. Nature was always a background for poets and wanderers, for farmers, for thinkers, for those that exploited it but never saw it as a priority. Artists, however, ceaselessly proposed nature as the only possible conceivable future, and so with time, nature started to re-emerge. Today, nature appears in the work of many contemporary young artists as an organ, as the most fruitful way for us to imagine new futures.
“We are very pleased to be opening our first own exhibition in collaboration with the Art Institute, through which we want to support the practice of artists linked to Switzerland and support cultural exchange within our community. The topic of this exhibition could not be more fitting given the times we are experiencing as a society. In a crisis, we turn to art in the same way we turn to nature. Through this exhibition, we hope to awaken ideas and sensations in the viewer, whilst enabling meaningful connections between artists, audiences, curators, and collectors in the region,” says Tarmak22 co-founder Antonia Crespi.
About the Art Institute HGK FHNW in Basel
The Art Institute is dedicated to visual arts education. We are a public institution with one hundred students divided across a three-year bachelor’s program and a two-year master’s program. Embracing nature and social justice lie at the core of our curricula. Therefore we have a variety of programs, including international symposia, a series of discursive events titled Art Taaalkssss, and an art commission program open to the public. We understand the mission of art and artists as an essential contribution toward imagining and experiencing freedom and possible social futures. Friendly collaborations with foundations such as TBA21–Academy allow us to expand our aims and learn ways of understanding the oceans from activists and scientists.
About Tarmak22
Tarmak22 was founded in 2019 by Antonia Crespi and Tatiana de Pahlen with the aim of adding something new, accessible, and dynamic to the cultural dialogue in the Swiss Alps. During the winter season we host museum-worthy shows thanks to our international gallery partners, allowing us to fund a more experimental program in the summer. Our overarching desire for the summer exhibitions is to support young artists with a link to Switzerland. Through this hybrid structure, we hope to create a year-round dialogue that will give back to our community and enable meaningful connections between artists, curators, collectors, and different audiences. Open throughout the year and easily accessible to the public, Tarmak22 provides a new platform for cultural and artistic activity in Saanenland, Switzerland.