The group exhibition «Containers Love Disorder» brings together seven artists and collectives active in Switzerland who explore strategies of arrangement, classification and situatedness. On display are works by Michèle Graf & Selina Grüter, Dominic Michel, Mathis Pfäffli, Matthias Sohr, Kelly Tissot, Paulo Wirz and the collaborative project La Bibliothèque des Ready-Mades, initiated by Anaïs Wenger in 2023.

As the title suggests, the exhibition is based on the idea of the container as a symbol and model for social organisation and beyond. Specifically, the standardised metal containers function as a basic prerequisite for the efficient, global circulation of goods. More figuratively speaking, containers create spaces, assign places to things and act as moderators for relationships and actions. In this sense, also an institution – also a Kunst Halle – can be understood as a container: for art, for networks, for discourse. The attempt of classification in the field of art always goes hand in hand with questions of authority, context and the dynamics of inclusion and exclusion. The invited artists reflect on the conditions of art production and access, responding to the spatial and contextual circumstances of Kunst Halle in the form of sculptures or installations.

Adopting various focal points and approaches, the exhibited works examine the relationship between people and infrastructures. In doing so, they trace the influences of economic cycles on our thoughts and actions, sharpen our awareness of technologised environments, or devote themselves to stories and rituals that are inscribed in everyday objects. Through collecting, recording, recycling and appropriating, these artists confront a world of excess and turn their attention decisively to its remnants, rejects and side scenes.

«Containers Love Disorder» is based on the premise that every order, every system has an inherent entropic force. In this perspective, «disorder» does not simply refer to an energetic expenditure or dissolution, but also encompasses the potential for resistance, change and reorganisation. The apparent contradiction between order and disorder may sometimes even turn out to be a passionate relationship – a longing for chaos and otherness. Meanwhile, classification itself can also be understood as an invitation to recognise patterns, shift boundaries and explore the gaps between things. «Containers Love Disorder» aims to address such considerations artistically and devote an aesthetic commentary to (un)ordered relationships.

Biography

Michèle Graf & Selina Grüter
*1987/*1991 in CH, live and work in New York/USA.

La Bibliothèque des Ready-Mades
*since 2023, a collaborative project initiated by Anaïs Wenger in Geneva/CH.

Dominic Michel
*1987 in Klingnau/CH, lives and works in Zurich/CH.

Mathis Pfäffli
*1983 in Lucerne/CH, lives and works in Zurich/CH.

Matthias Sohr
*1980 in Düsseldorf/DE, lives and works in Lausanne/CH.

Kelly Tissot
*1995 in Annecy/FR, lives and works in Basel/CH.

Paulo Wirz
*1990 in Pindamonhangaba/BR, lives and works in Zurich/CH.

Credits

The exhibiton «Containers Love Disorder» is supported by LANDIS & GYR STIFTUNG, Pro Helvetia, Swiss Arts Council, Stiftung Temperatio and Oertli Stiftung. Special thanks to Högg Liftsysteme AG, Lego Oma, Ramptogo, Metzler Holzwerke and Lovay Fine Arts, Geneva.