The S I's series of artist and curator talks aims to present the different approaches to the media of exhibition-making. From the seminal Harald Szeemann, through Nicholas Bourriaud and Matthew Higgs, these talks have shed light on different strategies of curating. With this in mind, the Swiss Institute - Contemporary Art is thrilled to host an Artist Talk with John Armleder, whose work as an artist takes him between roles of organizing and anti-organizing as artist, curator, teacher and editor.

An artist who has initiated innumerable collaborations and projects, starting with his involvement with Fluxus-connected Ecart, Armleder is the curator of the S I's current exhibition, None of the Above. Bringing together the work of over forty international artists, each work in None of the Above is of extremely reduced size or immaterial and is installed over the full space of the S I in unconventional spots. The exhibition's device and its strategy plays an overt and substantial part of the show, albeit clearing the exhibition space to an almost empty look.

Armleder has also initiated the publication of the new Yellow Pages book, with the 404Team, which features A4 contributions of over 500 artists, which were randomly overlapped with eachother and printed like a yellow pages directory. You just may find what you're looking for in this anti-directory of art.

Display strategies, snare shows and deception events have a long tradition; the lineage going back to the Suprematists, Dada and the Surrealists to Fluxus or the seminal Lucy Lippard shows. Armleder will talk about his interest and position in this history, while discussing his current S I exhibition, None of the Above, as well presenting several other examples of his collaborative projects, the newly-published Yellow Pages book and Villa Magica records.

None of the Above will be on view through January 15.


Upcoming events include a talk by Arthur Danto on Jan 18
as well as a performance by Cory Arcangel on Feb 1