SI OFFSITE | On Half a Tank of Gas

With works and performances by Olga Balema, Lorenzo Bernet, Sarah Burger, Valentin Carron, Christina Forrer, Simon Fujiwara, Bradley Kronz, Miriam Laura Leonardi, Paul McCarthy & Mike Kelley, Gianni Motti, Selina Grüter & Michèle Graf, Yannic Joray & Daniel Horn, Chadwick Rantanen, Elda Schiesser, Roman Signer, and Shirin Yousefi.

Swiss Institute and Kunsthaus Glarus are thrilled to present a village-wide project that will take place in New Glarus, Wisconsin. Self-described as “America’s Little Switzerland,” New Glarus is a rural town where a group of economic migrants from Glarus, Switzerland, moved in the mid-nineteenth century, fleeing deteriorating economic conditions at home.

With its title taken from a flyer for a local business advertising that one can “Visit Switzerland…On Half a Tank of Gas!”, the project explores New Glarus as an unusual place of cultural crossover between America and Switzerland. The particular history and culture of the village is the central point of departure for the project, which explores migration, economic development, and the heritage and tourism industries that preserve and market a sense of place. Swiss Institute and Kunsthaus Glarus have invited contributions from a number of artists from Switzerland, Wisconsin and elsewhere, who have approached such histories through material concerns, ranging from hunting equipment and tapestries to fragrances and fireworks.

Exhibition venues include: Citizens Banks Building, Chalet of the Golden Fleece Museum, Puempel’s Olde Tavern, SwissLand Miniature Golf, and the New Glarus Village Park.

Schedule of Events:

Friday, October 13

5-8PM: Exhibition open to visitors. Please note last entrance at Chalet of the Golden Fleece Museum is at 7:30PM.

Saturday, October 14

12PM: Curators’ introduction and welcoming remarks at Citizens Bank Building.

12PM-6PM: Exhibition open to visitors. Please note last entrance at Chalet of the Golden Fleece Museum is at 3:30PM.

2PM: Michèle Graf and Selina Grüter’s performance, Contra Dance (2017), takes place at Citizens Bank Building.

6:30PM: Lorenzo Bernet’s Catherine Wheel sculpture (2017) will be lit in celebration of the project in the Village Park.

7PM: Cheese and wine reception at the Chalet Landhaus Inn. To attend, please RSVP to rsvp@swissinstitute.net.

Sunday, October 15

10AM-2PM: Exhibition open to visitors.

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Special thanks for the warm welcome, support and advice of: Beth Zurbuchen and the Board of the Swiss Center of North America; Roger Truttmann, Bryan Gadow and the Village of New Glarus; Michael J. Bell and the team at the Chalet Landhaus Inn; Don and Melissa Berg; Susie Weiss; Matthias Kunz, Heather Engwall and Tony Zgraggen of Emmi Roth; Sandy Blum; and Chuck Lessia. Thanks also to the lenders to this exhibition: David Kordansky Gallery, Electronic Arts Intermix, Hauser & Wirth, and Rainbow in Spanish.

During the reconstruction and refurbishment of Swiss Institute’s new building in the East Village, the institution is programming offsite with a number of projects that reach beyond traditional or standardized exhibition spaces. As part of the institution’s mission to foster cross-cultural dialogue and explore transnational identity and exchange, On Half a Tank of Gas is a collaboration with Kunsthaus Glarus.

SWISS INSTITUTE PROGRAMMING IS MADE POSSIBLE IN PART WITH PUBLIC FUNDS FROM PRO HELVETIA, SWISS ARTS COUNCIL, THE NEW YORK STATE COUNCIL ON THE ARTS, WITH THE SUPPORT OF GOVERNOR ANDREW CUOMO AND THE NEW YORK STATE LEGISLATURE, AND THE NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY COUNCIL. MAIN SPONSORS INCLUDE LUMA FOUNDATION, THE ANDY WARHOL FOUNDATION FOR THE VISUAL ARTS, AND FRIENDS OF SI. SWISS INSTITUTE GRATEFULLY ACKNOWLEDGES ITS LEADING PARTNER UBS, STELLA ARTOIS AS BENEFACTOR, SWISS RE AS PUBLIC PROGRAMS PRESENTING SPONSOR, VITRA AS DESIGN PARTNER, SWISS AS TRAVEL PARTNER AND UOVO FINE ART AS RELOCATION PARTNER. SUPPORT FOR ON HALF A TANK OF GAS IS GENEROUSLY PROVIDED BY THE CONSULATE GENERAL OF SWITZERLAND IN NEW YORK, THE SWISS CENTER OF NORTH AMERICA, THE VILLAGE OF NEW GLARUS, THE CHALET LANDHAUS INN, EMMI ROTH AND SWISS CELLARS.

KUNSTHAUS GLARUS AND ON HALF A TANK OF GAS IS SUPPORTED BY KANTON GLARUS SWISSLOS KULTURFONDS, GUBLER HABLÜTZEL STIFTUNG, MIGROS KULTURPROZENT, AND GLARNER KANTONALBANK.

Media Contact: Mojdeh Pishyar
mojdeh@swissinstitute.net +1.212.925.2035