Venues
Barbara Seiler Galerie
Ahoi, ahoi Des Admirales
Martina-Sofie Wildberger, Gregory Tara Hari, Latefa Wiersch, Shana Lutker, Sophie Jung, Guillaume Pilet, Dina Danish
May 31 – July 07, 2024
Gregory Tara Hari, damend and doomed, 2024, performance
Courtesy of the artist and Barbara Seiler Galerie; Photo: Gregory Tara Hari
Courtesy of the artist and Barbara Seiler Galerie; Photo: Gregory Tara Hari
Fri, June 07, 11:00 – 21:00
Sat, June 08, 11:00 – 20:00
Sun, June 09, 11:00 – 18:00
Ahoi, ahoi Des Admirals
Dina Danish, Gregory Tara Hari, Shana Lutker, Sophie Jung, Guillaume Pilet, Latefa Wiersch, Martina-Sofie Wildberger
02 June – 06 July, 2024
‘Ahoi, ahoi Des Admirals’ is a group exhibition dedicated to performance art with a three-day program of performances during Zurich Art Weekend from 07 – 09 June, 2024. Distinguished from other forms of art by the five elements: time, space, body and presence of the artist, and the relation between the creator and the public, this exhibition explores questions of curating, staging and collecting performance art.
The title derives from the simultaneous poem ‘L’amiral cherche une maison a louer’ by Tristan Tzara, Marcel Janco and Richard Huelsenbeck, performed at Cabaret Voltaire in Zurich on 31 March, 1916, just 500 meters from Barbara Seiler’s gallery location. It was stimulated by the desire to apply the same simultaneous principles in poetry that the Surrealist painters – Picasso, Braque, Picabia, Duchamp-Villon and Delay – experimented with in the transmutation of objects and colors in the first Cubist paintings.
‘Ahoi, ahoi Des Admirals’ examines various forms of performance art in relation to time, space, the body and presence of the artist, and the relation between the artist and the audience: performances on view over the course of three days may last a few minutes or up to an hour, they are happening in the gallery space, outside, or solely in the viewers imagination, they are performed by the artist, by actors, dancers, puppets, and even the audience, they use word and language, a narrative text, or are expressed through the body of dancers, and topics range from gender identity, post-colonialism, culture, feelings of belonging and alienation, surrealism and queer history. What combines them all is their ephemeral characteristic, which makes it at the same time intense and elusive.
Two performances, ‘damned and doomed’ by Gregory Tara Hari and ‘unknowing, unearthing’ by Latefa Wiersch, New Kyd and Tiran Willemse have been specifically conceived for this exhibition and the gallery space. ‘damned and doomed’, a one-person performance by Gregory Tara Hari (b.1993) explores the imagined power of cursing as a means of coping with grief, anger, and societal disillusionment in the context of misrepresentation of East- and South East Asian women in Western society and media, and the behavior of predominantly western and white tourists in Southeast Asia and their interactions with local culture and customs in regards to respect and representation. The performance ‘unknowing, unearthing’ is a collaboration between Latefa Wiersch (b. 1983), New Kyd, and Tiran Willemse. Through the use of body, movement, sound, text, costumes, and puppets that intertwine, transform, and exchange roles, the work explores the unfamiliar within the familiar. The process of humanization of ‘objects’ as well as its opposite: dehumanization, becoming object-like addresses xenophobia and racism and attempts to counteract these by creating a space for new ways of thinking and acting, a different vision of the world – ambivalent, nonsensical, and disordered. The performance makes a connection to the Zurich Dadaist, who fled during WWI and imagined a similar world of ‘exotic’ African countries, admiring, imitating and mocking their masks, dances and rhythms. Willemse, New Kyd and Wiersch, drawing inspiration from Adam Pendleton’s Black Dada Manifesto, look back at Dada to be able to look forward: to retell history, to be in the present, to grasp, and to let go.
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Rämistrasse 18
8001 Zürich
8001 Zürich
Events
Titled ‘To Die’ this participative performance invites the viewer to enact a score in a predetermined place of the gallery space.
‘To Die’ refers to a dance performance of Valeska Gert, an important representatives of avant-garde dance in the 1920s, who analyzed the limits of societal conventions and expressed the insights with her body. Gert could be by turns grotesque, intense, mocking, pathetic or furious, performing with an anarchic intensity and artistic fearlessness which also recommended her to the Dadaists.
For the past years, Shana Lutker has been compiling the history of Dada and the Surrealists, visiting the sites across Europe where their performances and performative actions took place, and delving into archives. These altercations highlight the conviction, absurdity, passion and calculation of this avant-garde group, and raise questions about the way that passion and art combine today.
‘To Die’ refers to a dance performance of Valeska Gert, an important representatives of avant-garde dance in the 1920s, who analyzed the limits of societal conventions and expressed the insights with her body. Gert could be by turns grotesque, intense, mocking, pathetic or furious, performing with an anarchic intensity and artistic fearlessness which also recommended her to the Dadaists.
For the past years, Shana Lutker has been compiling the history of Dada and the Surrealists, visiting the sites across Europe where their performances and performative actions took place, and delving into archives. These altercations highlight the conviction, absurdity, passion and calculation of this avant-garde group, and raise questions about the way that passion and art combine today.
Fri, June 07, 11:00 – 21:00 | EN
This participatory performance by Egyptian artist and writer Dina Danish invites, if not forces, the audience to participate in the performance when entering or leaving the gallery space.
At the entrance of a room, a white line is seen on the floor as if closing off the room. On the other side of the line (outside of the room) it reads: YOU’VE CROSSED THE LINE! The text is written in such a way that it is readable when leaving the room.
In her multi-media work, Danish focuses on language and structure, incorporating humor and misunderstanding.
At the entrance of a room, a white line is seen on the floor as if closing off the room. On the other side of the line (outside of the room) it reads: YOU’VE CROSSED THE LINE! The text is written in such a way that it is readable when leaving the room.
In her multi-media work, Danish focuses on language and structure, incorporating humor and misunderstanding.
Fri, June 07, 11:00 – 21:00 | EN
The performance ‘unknowing, unearthing’ is a collaboration between Latefa Wiersch (b. 1983), New Kyd, and Tiran Willemse. Through the use of body, movement, sound, text, costumes, and puppets that intertwine, transform, and exchange roles, the work explores the unfamiliar within the familiar.
The process of humanization of ‘objects’ as well as its opposite: dehumanization, becoming object-like addresses xenophobia and racism and attempts to counteract these by creating a space for new ways of thinking and acting, a different vision of the world – ambivalent, nonsensical, and disordered. The performance makes a connection to the Zurich Dadaist, who fled during WWI and imagined a similar world of ‘exotic’ African countries, admiring, imitating and mocking their masks, dances and rhythms. Willemse, New Kyd and Wiersch, drawing inspiration from Adam Pendleton’s Black Dada Manifesto, look back at Dada to be able to look forward: to retell history, to be in the present, to grasp and to let go.
The process of humanization of ‘objects’ as well as its opposite: dehumanization, becoming object-like addresses xenophobia and racism and attempts to counteract these by creating a space for new ways of thinking and acting, a different vision of the world – ambivalent, nonsensical, and disordered. The performance makes a connection to the Zurich Dadaist, who fled during WWI and imagined a similar world of ‘exotic’ African countries, admiring, imitating and mocking their masks, dances and rhythms. Willemse, New Kyd and Wiersch, drawing inspiration from Adam Pendleton’s Black Dada Manifesto, look back at Dada to be able to look forward: to retell history, to be in the present, to grasp and to let go.
Fri, June 07, 18:00 – 18:20 | EN
Conceived specifically for the gallery space this new performance titled ‘damned and doomed’ explores the power of cursing and cussing as a means of coping with grief, anger, and societal disillusionment. Swearing, often viewed negatively, is portrayed as having a cathartic effect, offering relief from inner and outer pain.
Divided into two chapters, the first chapter ‘Hollywood’ delves into early racism and sexism in the US film industry and its influence on European cinema, addressing yellowfacing and the misrepresentation of East-Asian women and people read as woman in Western culture and society. Drawing upon own experiences he highlights examples of misrepresentation in Swiss films, such as ‘Leo Sunnyboy’ and ‘Gekauftes Glück’, along with the social context of migration stories and a racist and fascist political initiative to protect Switzerland from purported foreign infiltration.
In contrast, ‘Continental Breakfast’ exposes the behavior of predominantly white tourists in Southeast Asia and their interactions with local culture in regards to respect and representation. The prevalence of raw violence in Thai news coverage and Thai soap operas, such as ‘Ruan That’, and the use of swearing as a raw and honest expression of emotion, challenges societal norms and offers a glimpse into the complexities of cultural identity and injustice.
‘damned and doomed’ is a one-person performance, performed by the artist Gregory Tara Hari. He is wearing a green costume, inspired by the spirit of the banana tree ‘Nang Tani’, and silver finger nails extensions, which are traditionally used in dance and theater throughout Southeast Asia. Currently developed for the gallery space of Barbara Seiler Galerie, the performance will later be developed into a stage version in collaboration with musician Pinky Htut Aung.
Divided into two chapters, the first chapter ‘Hollywood’ delves into early racism and sexism in the US film industry and its influence on European cinema, addressing yellowfacing and the misrepresentation of East-Asian women and people read as woman in Western culture and society. Drawing upon own experiences he highlights examples of misrepresentation in Swiss films, such as ‘Leo Sunnyboy’ and ‘Gekauftes Glück’, along with the social context of migration stories and a racist and fascist political initiative to protect Switzerland from purported foreign infiltration.
In contrast, ‘Continental Breakfast’ exposes the behavior of predominantly white tourists in Southeast Asia and their interactions with local culture in regards to respect and representation. The prevalence of raw violence in Thai news coverage and Thai soap operas, such as ‘Ruan That’, and the use of swearing as a raw and honest expression of emotion, challenges societal norms and offers a glimpse into the complexities of cultural identity and injustice.
‘damned and doomed’ is a one-person performance, performed by the artist Gregory Tara Hari. He is wearing a green costume, inspired by the spirit of the banana tree ‘Nang Tani’, and silver finger nails extensions, which are traditionally used in dance and theater throughout Southeast Asia. Currently developed for the gallery space of Barbara Seiler Galerie, the performance will later be developed into a stage version in collaboration with musician Pinky Htut Aung.
Fri, June 07, 19:00 – 19:30 | EN
Titled ‘To Die’ this participative performance invites the viewer to enact a score in a predetermined place of the gallery space.
‘To Die’ refers to a dance performance of Valeska Gert, an important representatives of avant-garde dance in the 1920s, who analyzed the limits of societal conventions and expressed the insights with her body. Gert could be by turns grotesque, intense, mocking, pathetic or furious, performing with an anarchic intensity and artistic fearlessness which also recommended her to the Dadaists.
For the past years, Shana Lutker has been compiling the history of Dada and the Surrealists, visiting the sites across Europe where their performances and performative actions took place, and delving into archives. These altercations highlight the conviction, absurdity, passion and calculation of this avant-garde group, and raise questions about the way that passion and art combine today.
‘To Die’ refers to a dance performance of Valeska Gert, an important representatives of avant-garde dance in the 1920s, who analyzed the limits of societal conventions and expressed the insights with her body. Gert could be by turns grotesque, intense, mocking, pathetic or furious, performing with an anarchic intensity and artistic fearlessness which also recommended her to the Dadaists.
For the past years, Shana Lutker has been compiling the history of Dada and the Surrealists, visiting the sites across Europe where their performances and performative actions took place, and delving into archives. These altercations highlight the conviction, absurdity, passion and calculation of this avant-garde group, and raise questions about the way that passion and art combine today.
Sat, June 08, 11:00 – 20:00 | EN
This participatory performance by Egyptian artist and writer Dina Danish invites, if not forces, the audience to participate in the performance when entering or leaving the gallery space.
At the entrance of a room, a white line is seen on the floor as if closing off the room. On the other side of the line (outside of the room) it reads: YOU’VE CROSSED THE LINE! The text is written in such a way that it is readable when leaving the room.
In her multi-media work, Danish focuses on language and structure, incorporating humor and misunderstanding.
At the entrance of a room, a white line is seen on the floor as if closing off the room. On the other side of the line (outside of the room) it reads: YOU’VE CROSSED THE LINE! The text is written in such a way that it is readable when leaving the room.
In her multi-media work, Danish focuses on language and structure, incorporating humor and misunderstanding.
Sat, June 08, 11:00 – 20:00 | EN
Words and their meanings are at the heart of Guillaume Pilet (b. 1984) and Lin Zhao's narrative performance ‘Before we Met’. The performance script is derived from the chronological sequence of text messages exchanged between the two performers over several weeks following their match on a Chinese dating website, culminating in questions about the right entrance and floor number just seconds before they met in person for the first time. For both, English is a foreign language. Misunderstandings can quickly develop their own dynamics, potentially jeopardizing and ending the new, still fragile relationship. Their communication is marked by personal insecurities, biographical anecdotes, and practical information, reflecting the convergence of two different cultures: the 'local' Lin Zhao and the artist-in-residence from Switzerland, Guillaume Pilet, who was completing an artist residency in Shanghai at Swatch Art Peace Hotel.
‘Before we Met’ was first performed in January 2020 during Guillaume Pilet's inaugural solo exhibition at Barbara Seiler Galerie, at a time when the pandemic had already hit Asia but was still largely ignored in the Western world. Four years later, Pilet and Zhao are re-enacting the performance, manifesting the evolution of their personal history and leading to a double time dimension, and as such referencing the original exhibition title ‘Double Happiness’ or 囍.
‘Before we Met’ was first performed in January 2020 during Guillaume Pilet's inaugural solo exhibition at Barbara Seiler Galerie, at a time when the pandemic had already hit Asia but was still largely ignored in the Western world. Four years later, Pilet and Zhao are re-enacting the performance, manifesting the evolution of their personal history and leading to a double time dimension, and as such referencing the original exhibition title ‘Double Happiness’ or 囍.
Sat, June 08, 15:00 – 15:30 | EN
Performance "I want to say something!" with Martina-Sofie Wildberger, Denise Hasler and Tobibi Bienz
I want to say something!
This performance is a polyphonic improvisation with the words I / WANT / TO / SAY / SOMETHING. For one hour three performers are looping these words in other rhythms, intensities and spatial configurations. On the one side the multiple possibilities of creating meaning with these five words are explored: I / SAY I / WANT / SOMETHING, SAY! SAY / SOMETHING! and many other combinations thereof. On the other side, when said in loops the meaning of a given word can slide semantically. Through repetition WANT becomes WON’T or WANT; WANT / TO can be ONE TWO and SAY is phonetical- ly the same as “six” in Italian. Further, the performers examine how meaning changes through the tone of their voice and our physical interaction with the space creating an environment that can be calm, loud, alarming, calming, solitary or comfortable. Always connected to each other, at times they speak together and at other times alone. In this collective speaking the performers maintain an individual voice that explores different situations where language creates, transforms and sometimes loses its power.
This performance is a polyphonic improvisation with the words I / WANT / TO / SAY / SOMETHING. For one hour three performers are looping these words in other rhythms, intensities and spatial configurations. On the one side the multiple possibilities of creating meaning with these five words are explored: I / SAY I / WANT / SOMETHING, SAY! SAY / SOMETHING! and many other combinations thereof. On the other side, when said in loops the meaning of a given word can slide semantically. Through repetition WANT becomes WON’T or WANT; WANT / TO can be ONE TWO and SAY is phonetical- ly the same as “six” in Italian. Further, the performers examine how meaning changes through the tone of their voice and our physical interaction with the space creating an environment that can be calm, loud, alarming, calming, solitary or comfortable. Always connected to each other, at times they speak together and at other times alone. In this collective speaking the performers maintain an individual voice that explores different situations where language creates, transforms and sometimes loses its power.
Sat, June 08, 16:00 – 16:40 | EN
Conceived specifically for the gallery space this new performance titled ‘damned and doomed’ explores the power of cursing and cussing as a means of coping with grief, anger, and societal disillusionment. Swearing, often viewed negatively, is portrayed as having a cathartic effect, offering relief from inner and outer pain.
Divided into two chapters, the first chapter ‘Hollywood’ delves into early racism and sexism in the US film industry and its influence on European cinema, addressing yellowfacing and the misrepresentation of East-Asian women and people read as woman in Western culture and society. Drawing upon own experiences he highlights examples of misrepresentation in Swiss films, such as ‘Leo Sunnyboy’ and ‘Gekauftes Glück’, along with the social context of migration stories and a racist and fascist political initiative to protect Switzerland from purported foreign infiltration.
In contrast, ‘Continental Breakfast’ exposes the behavior of predominantly white tourists in Southeast Asia and their interactions with local culture in regards to respect and representation. The prevalence of raw violence in Thai news coverage and Thai soap operas, such as ‘Ruan That’, and the use of swearing as a raw and honest expression of emotion, challenges societal norms and offers a glimpse into the complexities of cultural identity and injustice.
‘damned and doomed’ is a one-person performance, performed by the artist Gregory Tara Hari. He is wearing a green costume, inspired by the spirit of the banana tree ‘Nang Tani’, and silver finger nails extensions, which are traditionally used in dance and theater throughout Southeast Asia. Currently developed for the gallery space of Barbara Seiler Galerie, the performance will later be developed into a stage version in collaboration with musician Pinky Htut Aung.
Divided into two chapters, the first chapter ‘Hollywood’ delves into early racism and sexism in the US film industry and its influence on European cinema, addressing yellowfacing and the misrepresentation of East-Asian women and people read as woman in Western culture and society. Drawing upon own experiences he highlights examples of misrepresentation in Swiss films, such as ‘Leo Sunnyboy’ and ‘Gekauftes Glück’, along with the social context of migration stories and a racist and fascist political initiative to protect Switzerland from purported foreign infiltration.
In contrast, ‘Continental Breakfast’ exposes the behavior of predominantly white tourists in Southeast Asia and their interactions with local culture in regards to respect and representation. The prevalence of raw violence in Thai news coverage and Thai soap operas, such as ‘Ruan That’, and the use of swearing as a raw and honest expression of emotion, challenges societal norms and offers a glimpse into the complexities of cultural identity and injustice.
‘damned and doomed’ is a one-person performance, performed by the artist Gregory Tara Hari. He is wearing a green costume, inspired by the spirit of the banana tree ‘Nang Tani’, and silver finger nails extensions, which are traditionally used in dance and theater throughout Southeast Asia. Currently developed for the gallery space of Barbara Seiler Galerie, the performance will later be developed into a stage version in collaboration with musician Pinky Htut Aung.
Sat, June 08, 17:00 – 17:30 | EN
Titled ‘To Die’ this participative performance invites the viewer to enact a score in a predetermined place of the gallery space.
‘To Die’ refers to a dance performance of Valeska Gert, an important representatives of avant-garde dance in the 1920s, who analyzed the limits of societal conventions and expressed the insights with her body. Gert could be by turns grotesque, intense, mocking, pathetic or furious, performing with an anarchic intensity and artistic fearlessness which also recommended her to the Dadaists.
For the past years, Shana Lutker has been compiling the history of Dada and the Surrealists, visiting the sites across Europe where their performances and performative actions took place, and delving into archives. These altercations highlight the conviction, absurdity, passion and calculation of this avant-garde group, and raise questions about the way that passion and art combine today.
‘To Die’ refers to a dance performance of Valeska Gert, an important representatives of avant-garde dance in the 1920s, who analyzed the limits of societal conventions and expressed the insights with her body. Gert could be by turns grotesque, intense, mocking, pathetic or furious, performing with an anarchic intensity and artistic fearlessness which also recommended her to the Dadaists.
For the past years, Shana Lutker has been compiling the history of Dada and the Surrealists, visiting the sites across Europe where their performances and performative actions took place, and delving into archives. These altercations highlight the conviction, absurdity, passion and calculation of this avant-garde group, and raise questions about the way that passion and art combine today.
Sun, June 09, 11:00 – 18:00 | EN
This participatory performance by Egyptian artist and writer Dina Danish invites, if not forces, the audience to participate in the performance when entering or leaving the gallery space.
At the entrance of a room, a white line is seen on the floor as if closing off the room. On the other side of the line (outside of the room) it reads: YOU’VE CROSSED THE LINE! The text is written in such a way that it is readable when leaving the room.
In her multi-media work, Danish focuses on language and structure, incorporating humor and misunderstanding.
At the entrance of a room, a white line is seen on the floor as if closing off the room. On the other side of the line (outside of the room) it reads: YOU’VE CROSSED THE LINE! The text is written in such a way that it is readable when leaving the room.
In her multi-media work, Danish focuses on language and structure, incorporating humor and misunderstanding.
Sun, June 09, 11:00 – 18:00 | EN
‘Libretto’ is a group of sculptures, of which each has its own performance, which can be activated by the artist. Sophie Jung's sculptural work consists of bodies made up of both found and haphazardly produced attributes and stands as a network of abiding incompletion, an ever changing choir of urgencies and pleasures, traumas and manifestations that communally relay between dominant and minor themes. Jung hopes for agnostic alliances, cross-material solidarity and assemblages that defy resolution. Her approach to “stuff”—both legible utensil and metaphoric apparition sits somewhere between materialist responsibility and wild becoming. Her writing exists in the tradition of écriture feminine and lives as poly-vocal collage, often materialized and extended collaboratively.
Sun, June 09, 11:30 – 11:45 | EN
‘Libretto’ is a group of sculptures, of which each has its own performance, which can be activated by the artist. Sophie Jung's sculptural work consists of bodies made up of both found and haphazardly produced attributes and stands as a network of abiding incompletion, an ever changing choir of urgencies and pleasures, traumas and manifestations that communally relay between dominant and minor themes. Jung hopes for agnostic alliances, cross-material solidarity and assemblages that defy resolution. Her approach to “stuff”—both legible utensil and metaphoric apparition sits somewhere between materialist responsibility and wild becoming. Her writing exists in the tradition of écriture feminine and lives as poly-vocal collage, often materialized and extended collaboratively.
Sun, June 09, 12:30 – 12:45 | EN
‘Libretto’ is a group of sculptures, of which each has its own performance, which can be activated by the artist. Sophie Jung's sculptural work consists of bodies made up of both found and haphazardly produced attributes and stands as a network of abiding incompletion, an ever changing choir of urgencies and pleasures, traumas and manifestations that communally relay between dominant and minor themes. Jung hopes for agnostic alliances, cross-material solidarity and assemblages that defy resolution. Her approach to “stuff”—both legible utensil and metaphoric apparition sits somewhere between materialist responsibility and wild becoming. Her writing exists in the tradition of écriture feminine and lives as poly-vocal collage, often materialized and extended collaboratively.
Sun, June 09, 13:30 – 13:45 | EN