Armleder in Rome, Hora in Cairo, Rimini Protokoll in Lausanne, Pflanzplätz in Lima No Images? Click here Outside the boxArts have the potential to change aggregate conditions in society. Certainties are called into doubt or dissolved. Swiss artist John M. Armleder from Geneva is at once a painter, performer, designer and curator. His creations often defy traditional categorisation, while frequently drawing on collaboration and exchange with fellow artists. The Istituto Svizzero di Roma is now dedicating a solo exhibition to Armleder featuring a selection from his oeuvre of many years together with some locally created pieces. The «Programme commun» festival in Lausanne aims to foster collaboration and exchange among different art disciplines. For ten days, six cultural institutions offer a high-calibre programme of dance, theatre, performances and visual arts, and visitors are invited to stroll from one venue to the next. «Programme commun» thus goes beyond habitual divisions, too, creating space for new forms. These and other cultural highlights can be discovered in our newsletter. May you find your own personal inspiration! Pro Helvetia Communication Rimini Protokoll Nachlass, Théâtre de Vidy, Lausanne ©Samuel Rubio RomeAn all-rounder’s creations on displayThe output of Geneva-based artist John M. Armleder is too broad to fit any conventional categorisation. In the course of his career, influenced by the Fluxus movement of the 1960s and 70s, his creations have included paintings, sculptures, object art, and performances, yet his innovative approach makes it impossible to pigeonhole them. The Istituto Svizzero di Roma is now dedicating a specially tailored solo exhibition entitled «Stockage» to this versatile artist, due to run from 17 March to 1 July. John Armleder, Mother, 2015, Mixed media on wood, Echinocactus grusonii Interdisciplinary projectsCall for applicationsPro Helvetia is seeking applications for the first International Residency for Young Artists in connection with the Bienal Arte Joven in Buenos Aires. The residency runs from 24 to 30 July 2017 and offers places for 11 participants from different countries. For one week, together with their Argentinean counterparts, young art practitioners will have the opportunity to reflect on and discuss their work. The aim of the programme is to foster exchange between different cultures, art disciplines and types of artistic production. Eligible are practitioners from all art categories except film. Applications are to be submitted by 20. April 2017 via: © Campus Bienal Arte Joven Literature in Leipzig
And the winner is …The Leipzig Book Fair prize is one of the most renowned of its kind in the German- speaking world. Two Swiss authors are among this year’s nominees: Lukas Bärfuss in the fiction category for «Hagard» and Eva Lüdi Kong in the category of translation for her German rendition of «Journey to the West» («Xiyouji») – a Chinese classic from the 16th century. The winners will be announced on 23 March.
French crime nightFrench literature will be in the spotlight this year both at the Leipzig Book Fair and, in autumn, at its Frankfurt sister event. The «Krimi à la française» programme is staging a French-language crime fiction night, a first, starting on 25 March at 8.30 pm. Numerous authors will be on site to hold readings and book signing sessions, among them Quentin Mouron from Switzerland, who at the age of just under 30 has already published no less than six novels. Interdisciplinary projectsOPEN HOUSE DAYS People partial to interdisciplinary art are in for a special treat at the «Programme commun» festival in Lausanne. From 23 March to 2 April, six of the city’s cultural venues are presenting highlights and new discoveries in the fields of dance, theatre, visual arts and performance, with audiences invited to move freely from one site to the next. The festival, featuring productions from all over Switzerland, is both a meeting point for art professionals and a gala for art lovers in general. Pro Helvetia supports «Programme commun» and can safely state that the event is well worth a trip to Lausanne! «En manque» von Vincent Macaigne, Théâtre de Vidy, Lausanne © Mathilda Olmir India and EgyptEGYPT A normal differenceCurtains up for diversity. «Disabled Theater» – a play written and performed by people with a mental handicap – is going on tour. Not even in Cairo will members of the Theater Hora ensemble shy away from taking prejudices and preconceptions apart bit by bit. They take the stage as guests of the Egyptian Downtown Contemporary Arts Festival (D-CAF) on 21 and 22 March 2017. INDIA Rhythm and ritualsIn their programme «Jinx 103» József Trefeli and Gábor Varga fuse contemporary and folk dance to generate an experience of rhythm in public space. Their 20-minute performance will be shown on 28 and 29 March 2017 in New Delhi as part of the Expressions International Contemporary Dance Festival, and then again in Mumbai on 2 and 3 April. Culture and societyThe many facets of «Heimat»The German word Heimat can refer to one’s native country or simply to a place or experience that makes one feel at home. With its exhibition «HEIMAT. Eine Grenzerfahrung»
(Heimat. Drawing the line), Stapferhaus Lenzburg takes up this highly topical subject. Visitors are invited to explore their personal Heimat, delve into foreign worlds and face socio-political questions in connection with the concepts of native country and home. A fairground including a 32-metre-high giant wheel offers a journey of discovery – from one’s first home all the way to outer space. This elicits feelings connected with Heimat – yearnings and anxieties – and helps elucidate why the term is so emotionally charged. Pro Helvetia provides financial backing to Stapferhaus Lenzburg on the basis of a support agreement. © Stapferhaus Lenzburg, Photo Anita Affentranger Visual artsFrom host to guest and backIn the spotlight: Curator Adam Szymczyk is reinventing «documenta» Kassel, having made Athens a co-host on an equal footing with Kassel for the latest edition. Under the working title «Learning from Athens» , he invites art practitioners to express their take on today’s social, political and cultural upheavals. Among the participants are Swiss artists Miriam Cahn, Vivian Suter, Elisabeth Wild and Alexandra Bachzetis. «documenta» 14 is scheduled for 8 April to 16 July 2017 in Athens and 10 June to 17 September in Kassel. A project contribution from Pro Helvetia provides financial backing for the four Swiss artists. © Documenta Kassel in Athen Folk musicMountain music meetWhat does the music of the mountains sound like? Answers can be heard from 24 to 26 March at the 3rd Festival Internacional de Música de Alturas in Lima, Peru, where musicians from highlands all over the world come together to inspire one another. Backed by Pro Helvetia, the group Pflanzplätz are included in the festival line-up with their mix of traditional and contemporary Swiss folk music. They will have the opportunity to meet fellow musicians from other Alpine nations as well as from mountain regions in Asia and Latin America. Pflanzplätz © Janosch Hugi |