Agenda

Taro Izumi (1976) has developed a unique creative universe. Sculpture, installation, performance and video are closely interwoven.The materials used lead to meticulously assembled constructions. This process is the result of the use of advanced technology and thorough reflection, energy and application. Each work in the current exhibition (Taro Izumi. ex) has a role to play. The works in the exhibition have been specially created by the artist on the basis of the museum’s space and current cultural, social and sanitary questions, such as Covid 19.

In partnership with the Cinémathèque Française and Réunion des Musées Métropolitains Rouen Normandie, the exhibition explores the links between fine art and cinema, the great visual revolution of the 20th century. It illustrates the mutual influences between film-makers and visual artists, from the early films of the late 19th century to the French New Wave (Nouvelle Vague). The event will highlight the visual arts, placing film clips, posters and models in dialogue with sculptures, drawings, photographs and paintings of the highest quality. The exhibition is arranged chronologically, illuminating the dialogue between art and cinema through specific themes.

The exhibition is divided over two locations, in the wine museum in Sierre (Siders) and in the Pfyn-Finges visitor centre of the nature centre in Salquenen (Salgesch), and has topical themes as the subject. What are the consequences of global warming for viticulture? What about hybrid vines? Is organic viticulture profitable? What is the relationship with biodiversity? The exhibition explores these different topics, presents scientific facts and invites visitors to reflect.

The study of skeletons is an essential area of research to understand populations from the ancient past, their state of health and disease, their eating habits and mobility, their cultural and environmental influences. The exhibition attempts to address the lives of the inhabitants of the Roman city of Avenches (Aventicum) by studying their bones and teeth. The Roman city of Aventicum and Switzerland are brought back to (daily) life by using the most modern techniques.

The museum presents the relevant themes relating to the first (1868-1891) and second (1939, 1962-1973) Jura water correction (Juragewässerkorrektion) in the Three Lakes Region (Drei-Seen-Land/Le Pays des trois Lacs): a collection of old maps, original objects, interviews, stories and anecdotes, documents, explanations, videos and sound documents. The permanent exhibition is set up chronologically based on a timeline of water levels and floods over the centuries.

The exhibition shows places where Paul Klee (1879-1940) lived, worked or sought artistic inspiration. The show uses works, photographs, film clips and documents to trace his journey from Bern via Munich, Weimar, Dessau and Düsseldorf and back to exile in Bern, and his educational and convalescent trips to the Mediterranean, to the North Sea, to Tunisia or Egypt. In addition it includes his excursions to Paris and Berlin, where he built up a network of art dealers, publishers and artist friends. One further chapter is devoted to the ‘travels’ of the artist’s works after his death. Amongst other things, this part of the exhibition gives insight into Paul Klee’s stunningly international exhibition history, introduces some of the most significant Klee collections, and tells the story of works that were lost or destroyed during the war.

Brecht Evens (1986, Hasselt, Belgium) released his first comic in 2010, and he published many others afterwards. In his works, the characters, the backgrounds and the text are masterfully interconnected. For his graphic novels, he has won various prestigious awards. The exhibition covers all his works and presents some of his original comics.

Robert Frank (Zurich 1924-2019) is widely regarded as one of the most important photographers of our time. Over the course of decades, he has expanded the boundaries of photography and explored its narrative potential and has inspired two generations of photographers. The exhibition mainly features vintage silver gelatin prints from the collection of the Fotostiftung Schweiz and loans from the Fotomuseum in Winthertur.

The Nazi regime in Germany and the Second World War had a significant impact on life in Basel and the whole border region between 1933 and 1945. The exhibition will inquire into cross-border relationships and ask where the people of Basel, the Swiss authorities and local businesses and institutions stood in relation to National Socialism and the Nazi state.

Refugees and refugee policies, the political climate, economic ties, the challenges faced by Basel’s Jewish population, the campaign to defend Switzerland’s cultural identity and everyday life during the war will be among the themes presented. The exhibition (Grenzfälle) will recount the fortunes of individuals as well as exploring borderline cases of all kinds, whether geographical, personal, legal or moral, providing plenty of food for thought on how we handle the past.

The current threat to health is joined by new uncertainties. What do contemporary art works tell about the emotional roller-coaster that are being experienced in the Corona-pandemie, including greater solidarity, neighbourly help and greater communication ?. In this compilation of works from the collection of contemporary art – the title of the exhibition is taken from a work by the Geneva artist Vidya Gastaldon – the museum embarks on a journey through the history of the most recent art, in search of what artists can tell us about extreme conditions and emotions.