Exhibitions
Muzeum Susch
ART AT THE ALPINE PASS
We are delighted to announce the opening of MUZEUM SUSCH. This new institution for contemporary art, founded by Grazyna Kulczyk, is situated in the historic village Susch in the Engadin, Switzerland. This appealing, elongated valley has always been a locus of cultural exchange between borders. Artists and intellectuals have long been fascinated by this landscape and over the years many have chosen to live and work in the Engadin. Drawing strength from this unique environment, MUZEUM SUSCH aims to become a dynamic venue for artistic production and mediation.
RE-READING AND RE-CLAIMING
As well as being home to Grazyna Kulczyk’s extensive collection of international art, with its particular focus on Central and Eastern European, postwar art, MUZEUM SUSCH will organize temporary exhibitions, new artistic productions, residencies and events mediating between East and West.
THE INSTITUTION AS PROCESS
The methodology of the institution is to combine a museum with artist’s studios, as a venue that will trigger and sustain the ongoing reappraisal of art-historical narratives and the production of new works of art. Artists will be invited to actively shape the museum’s identity with site-specific interventions.
CRITICAL MEMORY
Ultimately MUZEUM SUSCH strives to persistently ask and explore new questions rather than merely representing solidified knowledge. The residency programme is a distinctive feature of the institution, bringing together artists and cultural producers from diverse disciplines and providing a forum for debate, cross-fertilisation and innovative artistic activity. An old Engadin house, Chesa Santa, with several bedrooms and a studio space next to the main museum building is devoted to residencies.
ALPINE AND INDUSTRIAL
Grazyna Kulczyk has located the museum in a nineteenth-century brewery. This former industrial premises is currently being enlarged by the Swiss architects, Voellmy Schmidlin. The conversion will be completed by late 2017. Taking the existing industrial structure as their basis, the architects have created a complex museum space by subtly restoring the fabric of the building and introducing circumspect interventions. The museum’s labyrinthine character—the brewery was originally built into solid rock—offers diverse gallery typologies that will invite experimental presentations, approaches to art and facilitate exploratory journeys for visitors.
IN PROGRESS
The grand opening of MUZEUM SUSCH is planned for winter 2018. Meanwhile MUZEUM SUSCH is engaging the public in the construction process by organizing events and workshops. Another element of the institution is the connectivity with regional art projects and venues. In January 2017 a first collaboration with Engadin Art Talks will take place.
