A Matter of Art - Contemporary Architecture in Switzerland

'A Matter of Art - Contemporary Architecture in Switzerland' was first shown at the Swiss Cultural Center in Paris from 4 May to 1st July 2001. Focused chiefly on the portrayal of sixteen buildings constructed between 1997 and 2000, it offers a ‘section’ of Switzerland’s most recent architecture.

Choices have to be made when compiling an exhibition, especially when the goal is not to provide a documentary account as such, but rather to offer subjective interpretation of cutting-edge contemporary architecture. That is why we have deliberately refrained from trying to strike a balance between the trends we have identified; nor have we attempted to paint a picture of geographic equilibrium by according each canton or linguistic region its own specific slot.

The development of Swiss architecture cannot be explained in mere linear fashion, nor can it be postulated that it bears homogenous national features. Rather, it should be understood as a sequence or sharing of "moments" that often correspond to cultural traditions tied to geographical or linguistic areas. A case in point is the Neues-Bauen, followed by the tempered modernism of the post-World War II years, then by the unexpected Ticino experience that was sparked in the mid-seventies. Over the past several years it has become abundantly clear that the architecture of German-speaking Switzerland has taken on preponderant proportions, with several remarkable buildings being spawned in the canton of Graubünden. The question is whether these successive "moments" can be compared to cycles.

The first issue to tackle is whether contemporary Swiss architecture shares common characteristics…On the one hand, there seems to be a fascination in Switzerland with "local" architecture as a response to specific environments, to contextual data and to a quest for identity; on the other hand, the international acclaim enjoyed by a number of Swiss architects and the attention accorded to contemporary Swiss architecture in professional reviews and other publications would suggest that geographical boundaries have been transcended and that an artistic dimension has come into play.

Artistic is indeed the right term. After all, the reason why contemporary Swiss architecture has aroused so much interest is arguably because it projects the notion of architecture as an art form. That is, while the buildings we have selected are rooted in legible functional and contextual givens, they are also designed so that the architecture can be appreciated for itself – though not in a way to which we are accustomed. The exhibition is thus a vehicle for highlighting the new realms of awareness that architecture can offer.That is why a number of themes are presented in parallel with the projects (materials, new simplicity, wood, architecture/nature and the logic of plans), together with a close-up of key players in the contemporary arena of Swiss architecture (notably Herzog & de Meuron, Diener & Diener, Miroslav Sik – ‘analogous architecture’ – and Peter Zumthor).

This exhibition has been produced by Centre Culturel Suisse in Paris, Pro Helvetia Arts Council of Switzerland, designed by ITHA Lausanne, and supported by Presence Switzerland.

Supported at Cube by