REGIFT
18 Feb – 4 April 2009
Curated by John Miller
495 Broadway, 3rd Floor
New York, NY 10012
On invitation of the Swiss Institute, New York artist John Miller created REGIFT, a group show that includes 23 artists, all whom contribute work on the subject of gift exchange.
The exchange of gifts, although an age-old practice, presents something of an economic anomaly. One reason may be that gift exchange is not completely rational, at least according to a logic of total calculability. Like the gift, the artwork fits only awkwardly within this framework. Gift giving often involves unspoken obligations, exacted in terms that are mutually understood but nonetheless not completely accountable: emotional, social, hierarchical and so on. Here, the incalculability of the artwork dovetails with that of the gift.
About Swiss Institute
Swiss Institute / Contemporary Art is an American not-for-profit contemporary art gallery operating in New York City since 1986. As a truly international space for contemporary art, we occupy an ambitious, boundary-crossing role in NYC, fostering interaction between American, Swiss and European artists and audiences. Our institution works like a European Kunsthalle, presenting cutting-edge art within a forward-thinking intellectual framework. Because we have no collection and no responsibilities to the art market, all our energy goes towards the realization of artistic and curatorial projects. An additional vital part of our programming is an ambitious series of events creating crucial opportunities to weave contemporary art into the fabric of everyday life.
