Reflection on Exhibition and Art Practice Now. Colonial Influence? Focus on the Graphic Arts Collect

Abstract

In autumn 2024, two exhibitions take place in Zurich focusing on Switzerland and its colonial interdependencies. In the seminar, this topic will be addressed using the Graphische Sammlung ETH Zürich as an example. The students will research a selection of works from the collection, read specialized texts and discuss the jointly visited exhibitions.

Objective

Students learn about the history of the collection and work on individual works of the Graphische Sammlung ETH Zürich with a possibly colonial influence – whether in terms of provenance, titles or pictorial content. At the same time, students read and contextualize selected specialized texts on decolonization. During the two exhibition visits (Landesmuseum Zürich: kolonial – Globale Verflechtungen der Schweiz / exhibition space extract at ETH Zürich: Koloniale Spuren – Sammlungen im Kontext), participants will familiarize themselves with various forms of presentation and ways of communicating the topic.

Content

It has long been known that although Switzerland itself was not a colonial power, it nevertheless has complex colonial ties. This will be the subject of two different exhibitions in Zurich in autumn 2024 and will also be the topic of a seminar focusing on a collection of ETH Zurich: Graphische Sammlung ETH Zürich. In addition to reading specialized texts and visiting the exhibitions at Landesmuseum ((kolonial – Globale Verflechtungen der Schweiz) as well as at extract at ETH Zurich (Koloniale Spuren – Sammlungen im Kontext), the focus will be on analyzing individual works from the collection. Are there titles, pictorial contents or provenances that need to be critically questioned? If so, how should they be dealt with? What possibilities are conceivable with regard to the cataloguing and presentation of colonial works? And finally, what new insights can be gained by taking a different look at one's own collection, its history, and its art collection? Through theoretical reflection and practical work with specific case studies, students will familiarize the topic from two different angles.

Resources