The House of Art is pleased to present "Much Ado About Everything" showing the influence of the baroque in contemporary art. "Much Ado About Everything" is on view in the Danioth Pavillion from June 18th through August 28th. ARTKABINETT collector members who attend Art 42 Basel should consider a brief drive over to Altdorf to visit this fascinating exhibition.
Baroque meets the spirit of today in more spectacular ways than we would expect.
For a historical period (c. 1590-1750), that ended more than two centuries ago, this is all the more surprising. Paraphrasing William Shakespeare, "Much Ado About Everything" shows these links and how both the baroque and the contemporary are exciting and 'noisy' times in art. Amongst the artists featured in the exhibition are, Jean Tinguely, Peter Roesch, Caro Suerkemper, Pipilotti Rist, Stephan Melzl, Una Szeemann, Terry Rogers and Eloyan Poor.
Linking the two is the notion of the media and public relations. Modern day life is full of marketing strategies and unusual and seductive PR plans trying to win over consumers or customers. Body art, eroticism and sexualization have hit nearly all areas of life, while the cult of the celebrity dominates news coverage. Art both serves these drives and reflects them.
In the Baroque era, despite the differences, art fulfilled similar purposes, though it was primarily used to convince the people of religious beliefs and to channel them to the "right" forms of faith.
The artists of the Baroque era represented religion and those who promoted it using exaggeration, deception, and elements of theatrical production to make their point. Since the end of the great avant-garde movements of the mid-nenteen seventies, the advent of postmodernism has made artisys revist historical art movements.
Amongst these, the Baroque style seems to occupy a special position. "Much Ado About Everything" shows this 21 works of art from Swiss and international artists. "Much Ado About Everything" is the first exhibition address these issues in central Switzerland, a Catholic region with a rich Baroque heritage. The House of Art Uri has become a stage for works that turn the focus on to topics including, the cult of celebrity, illusion and desire, scientific and artistic gesture and the end of everything.
Located close to the William Tell Monument in Altdorf, the main town in the Canton of Uri, the House of Art opened in 2004. The three-story building built in 1845, last used by Gamma company as a print shop, was re-opened after an extensive renovation in May 2004 as an exhibition venue.
The house has three floors in the extension wing and in a spacious and attractive courtyard space for temporary exhibitions. The Uri Art Society seeks to use the House of Art to create a diverse program of exhibitions. Thanks to the generosity of Dr. Max Daetwyler a newly built pavillion on the site celebrates the work of local Swiss artist Heinrich Danioth (1896-1953).
Visit the museum's website at ... http://www.hausfuerkunsturi.ch
