Marcel Hörler

Transformations have always been part of cultural practices that fascinate and disturb at the same time. A living being that suddenly stops, apparently destroys itself and rises again as a completely new creature. From the privileged deities of the pre-Christian polytheistic religions to fantastic hybrid beings - half human, half animal - from legends, fairy tales and fantasy to complex metamorphosis images and stories in literature, the relationship between humans and animals is a frequently treated topic. In the wake of recent technological and medical advances, which make it possible to change bodies and exchange organs between humans and animals, or to breed human cells in animals, questions about a common future of humans and animals a new urgency. For the exhibition VEE (May 23rd to October 3rd, 2020) Badel/Sarbach, Benjamin Egger, Ernestyna Orlowska, Fridolin Schoch, Ina Weise and Patrick Ostrowsky made installative, sculptural and performative interventions on the agricultural farm Hof Blum in Samstagern. Performances, screenings and shows by Daniela Ehrsam, Ivy Monteiro, Maya Rochat and Soya The Cow accompanied the opening and the closing. Furthermore the exhibition was extended by farm talks and mimicry workshops. VEE was created in collaboration with Jakob Lienhard (graphic design), Valérie Hug (editorial) and Martin Blum (infrastructure).

Sustainability is no longer just a question of ecological circumstances such as climate change, geographical particularities or agricultural technologies but a question of production and consumption. Between April 20th and September 7th, 2019, the Plateaux Festival invited artists to discuss sustainability issues and solutions within the framework of the ecological farm Froh Ussicht in Samstagern, in the periphery of Zurich. In addition, guests* were invited to take up the theme of the festival with a Carte Blanche, in order tackle curated performances, film evenings, installations and actions with unexpected ideas. The festival was conceived in collaboration with Mateo Chacon-Pino, Lydia Perrot and Lisa Li at the invitation of Martin Blum. With artistic contributions by Artist Organizations International, Aurélie Strumans, Bergkrautsyndikat*, Carina Erdmann & Anna Kindermann, Johanna Bruckner, Johanna Kotlaris, Kunsthaus Aussersihl*, Kunst Du*, Martina Mächler, Matthew C. Wilson, Nino Baumgartner, San Keller, Simon Würsten Marin, Thomas Geiger, Violeta Burckhard Razeto*, Wagner & Friends with Carlos Fernández* and Yael Wicki.

Dogo Residenz für Neue Kunst is embedded in the Rathaus für Kultur in Lichtensteig. National and International artists receive an annual scholarship. The selected artists are at the beginning of their careers and are given the opportunity to develop professionally. Site-specific art is produced at Dogo. The artistic processes, as well as the resulting works are documented in the public online archive. During the year Dogo organizes events together with the artists, such as discussions or experimental mediation formats. A further component of Dogo is the mediation of art. Dogo Kunstschule organizes a wide range of workshops and projects. The year is always rounded off by the Dogo Totale, the curated group exhibition with the works created. Dogo opened on March 1st, 2019 and was initiated by Marcel Hörler, Hanes Sturzenegger, Julia Wäckerlin, Maura Kressig and Sirkka Ammann.

While the tourist takes the gondola lift to the summit and a refugee leaves his home, the digital nomad works somewhere on his boat. Never before has mobility manifested itself in so many ways as it does today. Spatial, social and virtual mobility has become the basic principle of a global and networked world. Anyone who is mobile is receptive - open to something new, perhaps better. Mobility also demands mental and physical mobility from people. On the one hand, it breaks down social structures and, on the other, reinforces the perception of existing, unequal preconditions. The broad concept of mobility was the focus of "Weiter". As part of "Weiter", Christian Eberhard, Collectif Chuglu, Damiano Curschellas, Gisa Frank, Lino Bally, Flurina Brügger, Iris Brodbeck, Marc Jenny, Matthias Rüegg and Robin Michel developed works en route. From September 9th to 23rd, 2017 they presented their works at three different traffic junctions in the lower, middle and upper Toggenburg. The exhibition was a co-production between the Kunsthalle[n] Toggenburg and Arthur Junior.

Imagine Rhythm used the expressiveness of dancing and filmmaking to overcome intercultural and linguistic obstacles. A group of 34 deaf and hearing young people from Armenia, Switzerland and Germany created a dance performance during ten days together with the choreographer Melanie Alexander and the dance coach Hayk Hobosyan and showed it in public space in the city of Zurich in August 2017. Through a inclusive approach, the participants could create their own movements, make use of their skills and integrate it in a contemporary dance performance. The whole activity was filmed on site by a group of participants interested in filmmaking in collaboration with the documentary filmmaker, producer Seg Kirakossian in order to document the learning process. The project was designed also for engaging the participants in social life and giving them knowledge on how they can implement social initiatives in the future. Besides the dance workshop, a group discussion was held, with a focus on the problems and needs of deaf people to promote awareness about the Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The project was a collaboration between Subkult and Doctor Cinema NGO.

Catherine Xu, Samuel Koch, Nina Emge, Lucie Biloshytskyy, James Stephen Wright, Domingo Chaves, Edmée Laurin, Fridolin Schoch and Martina Mächler received six orange envelopes on 9 July 2016. Six thousand Swiss francs in thousand notes - the most valuable banknote in the world. The artists had the task of spending all the money on Obere Bahnhofstrasse, the shopping street of Wil. The works that were presented to the public from July 30rd to August 13th, 2016 and were created from the purchased goods. "Shopping" dealt with a theme that has always moved society and the art world. We want it, we love it and we do it. From young to old. Whether conscious, ecological or wasteful. We shop, we choose and shopping should be fun, or not?! That's why the cross-media art action treated consumption as a act of life and asked questions. Questions about the commodity art, questions about artistic work, questions about investment. The artistic processes were documented and were part of the exhibition, which was initiated by Arthur Junior and the city of Wil in collaboration with the graphic design studio Badesaison.