At the satellite event of Engadin Art Talks at Scala, St. Moritz, Hans Ulrich Obrist spoke with E.A.T. founder Cristina Bechtler about his latest book titled 'Ein Leben in Progress'. The discussion traced Obrist’s journey into curating, from his childhood fascination with art to his first studio visits and early exhibitions in unconventional spaces. Obrist reflected on his early inspirations, from Jean Tinguely’s chocolate box designs to encounters with artists in Zurich’s streets, which shaped his approach to curating. He discussed his first studio visits, his fascination with archives, and how his early experiences led him to prioritize artists' unrealized projects, an idea originally inspired by Alighiero Boetti. A key theme was exhibiting outside traditional museum spaces, from his legendary 'Kitchen Show' with Fischli Weiss to curating hotel rooms, house museums, and large-scale public art projects. He also emphasized the role of technology in art institutions, referencing his work at the Serpentine Galleries, where he established departments for AI, ecology, and technology. The conversation concluded with Obrist sharing his unrealized project: a global exhibition of thousands of artists’ unrealized ideas, reinforcing his lifelong commitment to bringing artists' visions to life.
“Art should not be confined, it should reach people beyond the traditional circuit. [...] I would never have encountered art if it hadn’t been for all the ways it existed outside museums — on chocolate boxes, train timetables, and street corners.”
— Hans Ulrich Obrist
