Media release Aarau, January 2011 VOICI UN DESSIN SUISSE 1990-2010 29 January until 25 April 2011 Aargauer Kunsthaus, Aarau The special exhibition titled Voici un dessin suisse. 1990-2010 at the Aargauer Kunsthaus presents a cross-section of Swiss draughtsmanship. In assembling works by over 40 artists it invites viewers to discover the various surprising trends in contemporary drawing. Recent decades have seen an extensive and fascinating development in contemporary drawing in Switzerland. In the early 1980s the travelling exhibition Le dessin suisse - Schweizer Zeichnung 1970 1980, which was shown at the Aargauer Kunsthaus in 1982, had already highlighted the affinity for this medium among Swiss art practitioners. Almost 30 years later, Voici un dessin suisse. 1990-2010 offers an overview of the current scene in Swiss draughtsmanship, revisiting the inquiry into what actual or imaginary ties exist between drawing and Swiss art in general. Voici un dessin suisse brings together over 40 contemporary art practitioners from all parts of Switzerland who consider drawing an important part of their work without treating it as subordinate to other media and who, since the 1990s, have been instrumental in renewing the art of drawing. The exhibition at the Aargauer Kunsthaus encourages visitors to discover the various new and surprising trends in contemporary drawing. Taking the paper support as its point of departure, contemporary draughtsmanship has linked up with other modes of artistic expression such as installation, animation, printing and mural art.
The works shown in the exhibition reflect the impressive range of creative issues tackled in the art of drawing in the past two decades. Aside from the abstract compositions of Karim Noureldin and Damian Navarro and the landscapes of Ugo Rondinone, Boris Rebetez and Didier Rittener, the selected works testify to a return to figuration. Another salient feature is the prominence of graphic characters as visual elements. Whereas the use of lettering in works by Monica Germann/Daniel Lorenzi and Katia Bassanini reflects the world of media and advertising, lettering is incorporated into everyday observations, personal notes and thought-provoking socio-critical reflections or provides narrative fragments in works by Anne-Lise Coste, Vidya Gastaldon, Marc Bauer, Alain Huck and Sabina Baumann. In some cases the result is obviously close to cartoons and caricature as, for instance, in the drawings of Olaf Breuning and Kim Seob Boninsegni which are done with just a few pencil lines. Like Josse Bailly, Stephan Landry and David Chieppo, the latter draws on the rich visual vocabulary of popular culture. GRRR (Ingo Giezendanner) uses the window front of the Aargauer Kunsthaus to create an installation that, in merging drawing and Street Art with video art, adds up to an urban landscape. Denis Savary, too, presents his drawings not on a sheet of paper, but rather in animated form on a monitor. Projected onto a wall and staircase, the drawing by Zilla Leutenegger seeks to connect to the surrounding space. Yves Netzhammer and Franziska Furter break away entirely from the two-dimensional support, translating the drawn line into the third dimension in their installation pieces. Conceived by the Musée Jenisch Vevey - Centre national du dessin, the exhibition Voici un dessin suisse was shown at the Musée Rath in Geneva in 2010 and has been adapted in cooperation with the Aargauer Kunsthaus for its presentation in Aarau. The artists selected by curator Julie Enckell Julliard are included again in the exhibition in Aarau, however with a large number of new works and supplemented by works from the museum s collection. Monica Germann & Daniel Lorenzi, Franziska Furter, Nic Hess and GRRR (Ingo Giezendanner) are creating site-specific installations and wall pieces for the Aargauer Kunsthaus. And the artist Karim Noureldin has developed a scenographic concept for the presentation of Voici un dessin suisse at the Aargauer Kunsthaus: the walls of the galleries are covered with subtle stripes in a rhythmic sequence. At the same time the Aargauer Kunsthaus draws on its rich holdings of drawings and works on paper to present a theme-based exhibition of works from the collection titled In the Realm of Drawing. With its focus on drawings that convey a personal view of things and describe a distinctive
reality, this exhibition perfectly complements the special exhibition Voici un dessin suisse. Artists included: Silvia Bächli, Josse Bailly, Katia Bassanini, Marc Bauer, Sabina Baumann, Kim Seob Boninsegni, Silvia Buonvicini, Olaf Breuning, David Chieppo, Anne- Lise Coste, Jean Crotti, Andreas Dobler, Robert Estermann, Urs Fischer, Joëlle Flumet, Franziska Furter, Marcel Gähler, Vidya Gastaldon, Monica Germann/Daniel Lorenzi, GRRR(Ingo Giezendanner), Alex Hanimann, Nic Hess, huber.huber, Alain Huck, Robert Ireland, Stephan Landry, Zilla Leutenegger, Genêt Mayor, Claudia & Julia Müller, Damian Navarro, Yves Netzhammer, Karim Noureldin, Amy O'Neill, Peter Radelfinger, Boris Rebetez, Marta Riniker Radich, Didier Rittener, Ugo Rondinone, Denis Savary, Loredana Sperini, Ante Timmermans, Andro Wekua Curators Juie Enckell Julliard, curator at the Musée Jenisch in Vevey, in cooperation with Madeleine Schuppli, director of the Aargauer Kunsthaus, Aarau Catalogue Voici un dessin suisse (1990-2010), ed. by Julie Enckell Julliard, 256 pages. Zurich: JRP Ringier, 2010. Available in German/French/English. CHF 48.. For members of the Aargauischer Kunstverein CHF 41.. Media Preview Thursday, 27 January 2011, 10 am Welcome address by Madeleine Schuppli; tour of the special exhibitions. Followed by a reception in the foyer. Exhibition Opening Friday, 28 January 2011, 6 pm 6.15 pm Welcome address by Hans Ulrich Glarner, Head of the Cultural Department of the Canton of Aargau; Introductions by Madeleine Schuppli, director of the Aargauer Kunsthaus, Aarau, and Julie Enckell Julliard, curator at the Musée Jenisch in Vevey. Followed by a reception in the foyer. From 8 pm dinner in the tent on the roof terrace Artist s Talk Thursday, 17 February 2011, 6.30 pm Artists Loredana Sperini, Karim Noureldin, Silvia Buonvicini and GRRR(Ingo Giezendanner) in conversation with Julie Enckell Julliard, curator, Musée Jenisch Vevey, and Katrin Weilenmann, assistant curator, Aargauer Kunsthaus. Followed by a reception in the foyer.
Guided Tours Thursday 6.30 pm 10 Feb. with Stephan Kunz 3 Mar. with Julie Enckell in French 17 Mar. with Madeleine Schuppli 7 Apr. with Katrin Weilenmann Sunday 11 am 30 Jan. with Astrid Näff 6 Feb. with Dorothee Noever 20 Feb. with Dorothee Noever 27 Feb. with Dorothee Noever 13 Mar. with Nadja Baldini 27 Mar. with Nadja Baldini 10 Apr. with Nadja Baldini 17 Apr. with Astrid Näff 24 Apr. with Dorothee Noever Easter Monday 11 am 25 Apr. with Astrid Näff Art Education Art Guides An introduction for teachers Wednesday, 26 January 5.30 pm - 7.30 pm Children's Opening: Secret! For children 5 years and older Friday, 28. January 2011, 6 pm - 8 pm Art Parents For parents of small children. Childcare available Wednesday, 26 January / 23 February / 30 March 2011, 9 am Art Picnic For adults Thursday, 24 February 2011, 12-1.30 pm Art Hunt 10 am - 12.30 pm for children aged 5 to 8 1.30-3.30 pm for children aged 9 to 13 Saturday, 26 February / 5 March / 12 March / 19 March / 26 March 2011 Art Excursion For the whole family Sunday, 13 March 2011, 2-4 pm Specially tailored events for groups and schools. Information and registration: phone +41 (0)62 835 23 31, kunstvermittlung@ag.ch, www.aargauerkunsthaus.ch
Images Images are available for downloading on our website www.aargauerkunstahaus.ch under "Media." Please take notice of the captions. Opening hours Tue Sun 10 am 5 pm, Thur 10 am 8 pm Holiday opening hours Holy Thursday 21 April through Easter Monday 25 April open daily 10 am 5 pm For additional information please contact: Madeleine Schuppli, Director Aargauer Kunsthaus, phone +41 (0)62 835 23 30, e-mail: madeleine.schuppli@ag.ch Julie Enckell Julliard, Curator Musée Jenisch Vevey, phone +41 21 921 29, E-Mail: jenckell@museejenisch.ch Filomena Colecchia, Communications, phone +41 (0)62 835 23 34, e-mail: filomena.colecchia@ag.ch