
Sofia D. Leiby
Sophie Gogl
Patricio Lima Quintana
Andrea Romano
Florian Schlessmann
Linda Semadeni
Shade Théret
Alex Turgeon
Peter Wächtler
Angharad Williams
Ian Wooldridge
Alison Yip
Jiajia Zhang
For many artists whose creative focus is linked predominantly with a visual medium, a preoccupation with poetry represents an important element of their research. It is not uncommon for poems and lyrical texts to emerge from a creative process alongside artist's statements, conceptual descriptions or scripts for performances and video works. Often, however, these texts remain hidden between the pages of a notebook or in folders on their computers. These poems are an integral component of their artistic process and not infrequently form the basis for a later expression, be that in another art form or as part a work of art.
Poesie bei Nacht is a platform for ‘para-poetry’ by contemporary artists whose poetic work is not necessarily visible in their familiar practice, to take these texts seriously as poetry in their own right and thus also to shed light on the artists’ creative process. The project's goal is to give these literary works an autonomous artistic status and thus also reveal the artists’ working methods and broader forms of research. A work of art by each participant is also presented, in order to create a link back to the artistic practice for which they are known and to establish a connection between their writing and visual practice. In this way an exhibition accumulates which emenates from the readings.
Venue: Kunsthalle Zürich, Ebene A and basement
Limmatstrasse 270, 8005 Zurich
10 March, 2022
Seggs & Unalive – Ian Wooldridge
07 April, 2022
Pigeonaire Suite – Sofia Defino Leiby and Jiajia Zhang
21 April, 2022
Florian Schlessmann and Angharad Williams
05 May, 2022
Figures of Doubt in General – Andrea Romano and Alison Yip
12 May, 2022
Territorium and Pissing – Sophie Gogl, Linda Semadeni und Shade Théret
19 May, 2022
Mean Time – Patricio Lima Quintana and Peter Wächtler
17 November, 2022
5 Condos – Alex Turgeon
The format is generously supported by Fondation Jan Michalski and Stiftung Anne-Marie Schindler
Photo: E. Sommer

Ian Wooldrige, Seggs & Unalive, 10 March 2022, Kunsthalle Zürich, Ebene A
Foto: OB

Sofia Defino Leiby and Jiajia Zhang, Pigeonaire Suite, 07 April 2022, Kunsthalle Zürich, Ebene A
Photo: OB

Florian Schlessmann, 21 April 2022, Kunsthalle Zürich, Ebene A
Photo: OB

Florian Schlessmann, 21 April 2022, Kunsthalle Zürich, Ebene A
Photo: OB

Angharad Williams, 21 April 2022, Kunsthalle Zürich, Ebene A
Photo: OB

Andrea Romano und Alison Yip, Figures of Doubt in General, 05 May 2022, Kunsthalle Zürich, Ebene A
Photo: OB

Linda Semadeni and Sophie Gogl, Territorium and Pissing, 12 May 2022, Kunsthalle Zürich, Ebene A
Photo: OB

Shade Théret, Territorium and Pissing, 12 May 2022, Kunsthalle Zürich, Ebene A
Photo: OB

Patricio Lima Quintana, Mean Time, 19 May 2022, Kunsthalle Zürich, Ebene A
Photo: OB

Peter Wächtler, Mean Time, 19 May 2022, Kunsthalle Zürich, Ebene A
Photo: OB

Alex Turgeon, 5 Condos, 17 November 2022, Kunsthalle Zürich, basement
Photo: OB

Poesie bei Nacht, 2022, Kunsthalle Zürich, Ebene A, installation view. Jiajia Zhang, Untitled (Unreal Estate), 2019.
Photo: E. Sommer

Poesie bei Nacht, 2022, Kunsthalle Zürich, Ebene A, installation view.
Photo: E. Sommer

Poesie bei Nacht, 2022, Kunsthalle Zürich, Ebene A, installation view.
Photo: E. Sommer

Poesie bei Nacht, 2022, Kunsthalle Zürich, Ebene A, installation view.
Photo: E. Sommer

Poesie bei Nacht, 2022, Kunsthalle Zürich, Ebene A, installation view.
Photo: E. Sommer

Poesie bei Nacht, 2022, Kunsthalle Zürich, Ebene A, installation view.
Photo: E. Sommer

Poesie bei Nacht, 2022, Kunsthalle Zürich, Ebene A, installation view.
Photo: E. Sommer

Andrea Romano, Studies of…, 2022.
Photo: E. Sommer

Florian Schlessmann, Rain, 2022.
Photo: E. Sommer

Patricio Lima Quintana, Mean Time, 2020.
Photo: E. Sommer

Alison Yip, Ray's Dream, 2020.
Photo: E. Sommer

Angharad Williams, Untitled (performance documentation, Munich), 2020/2022.
Photo: E. Sommer

Ian Wooldridge, karate flower, 2022.
Photo: E. Sommer

Linda Semadeni, Follow Your Nose Drawing, 2020.
Photo: E. Sommer

Sophie Gogl, Untitled, 2019.
Photo: E. Sommer

Sofia Defino Leiby, Cosi 8, 2018–2019.
Photo: E. Sommer

Peter Wächtler, Actor, 2022.
Photo: E. Sommer

Poesie bei Nacht, 2022, Kunsthalle Zürich, basement, installation view. Alex Turgeon, 5 Condos, 2022.
Photo: Cedric Mussano

Poesie bei Nacht, 2022, Kunsthalle Zürich, basement, installation view. Alex Turgeon, Untitled (Nest), 2022.
Photo: Cedric Mussano

Poesie bei Nacht, 2022, Kunsthalle Zürich, basement, installation view. Alex Turgeon, Untitled (Nest), 2022.
Photo: Cedric Mussano

Poesie bei Nacht, 2022, Kunsthalle Zürich, basement, installation view. Alex Turgeon, Talking Towers, 2022.
Photo: Cedric Mussano

Alex Turgeon, Talking Towers 1, 2022.
Photo: Cedric Mussano

Alex Turgeon, Talking Towers 2, 2022.
Photo: Cedric Mussano

Alex Turgeon, Talking Towers 3, 2022.
Photo: Cedric Mussano

Alex Turgeon, Talking Towers 4, 2022.
Photo: Cedric Mussano

Alex Turgeon, Talking Towers 5, 2022.
Photo: Cedric Mussano

Alex Turgeon, Talking Towers 6, 2022.
Photo: Cedric Mussano
Backrooms
A whisper behind a hand, a hatched plan, an embarrassing slip of the tongue, unexpected inspiration: these happen in the gaps, corridors and brief interactions on the way to other activities. In these liminal spaces — places as well as states — emerge zones of reverie with a psychological and social threshold character. They are marginal areas of ambiguous limbo where back doors are left open and free spaces unconstrained, thus generating potential for experimentation as well as for failure.
Under the title Backrooms, a programme of events, readings, performances, screenings, concerts and other artistic formats will take place, organised by Otto Bonnen. The Löwenbräukunst offers various architectural and social spaces that Backrooms will engage with. Hidden, unoccupied spaces and informal break out rooms provide physical and structural spaces as well as collaborations that go beyond our walls with collectives or extra-institutional locations.
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