20—An Exhibition in Three Acts

The Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst celebrates its 20th anniversary—an excellent occasion to turn the focus on the institution itself. We will try to envision its future while also looking back on its past, undertaking a searching and multifaceted examination of the history of the museum and its collection as well as our curatorial program. The section of the exhibition on view in the downstairs galleries Museum Revisited—1996–2016 shines a spotlight on the everyday operations of the museum and presents unusual glimpses of what is going on behind the scenes, with particular emphasis on our art education activities. Publications, posters, photographic and video documentation, and archival materials trace the outlines of our work over the past two decades. A parallel cycle on display in the upstairs rooms showcases works from the collection: the selection combines performative and process-based oeuvres from 1960 to 1982 with a sprawling sculpture by Karla Black (b. Alexandria, Scotland, 1972; lives and works in Glasgow) that takes up over 3,000 square feet. The two segments of the show are connected by an “interlude” featuring a work by Eva Koťátková (b. Prague, 1982; lives and works in Prague).

The anniversary presentation will be accompanied by an anthology produced in collaboration with the Institute of Art History at the University of Berne and the Academy of Fine Arts Leipzig. The book, to be published in January 2017, will discuss the functions of a museum of contemporary art from diverse perspectives. More information: mm20.ch

Museum Revisited—1996–2016
October 15, 2016–February 5, 2017

Collection Revisited—1960–1982
Theo Altenberg, Judith Bernstein, Heidi Bucher, Marc Camille Chaimowicz, Graciela Carnevale, Cosey Fanni Tutti, Valie Export, Tadeusz Kantor / Eustachy Kossakowski, Anna Maria Maiolino, Babette Mangolte, Graciela Gutiérrez Marx, Gustav Metzger, Letícia Parente, Luis Pazos, Maria Pinińska-Bereś, Xanti Schawinsky, Katharina Sieverding, Alina Szapocznikow, Stephen Willats
October 15–November 27, 2016

Interlude
Eva Koťátková: Collection of Suppressed Voices
December 2–4, 2016

Karla Black: Principles of Admitting
December 9, 2016–February 5, 2017

Curated by Heike Munder (Director, Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst), Raphael Gygax (Curator, Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst), and Nadia Schneider Willen (Collection Curator, Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst)

Director of the museum: Heike Munder