Fair: Art Salon Zurich signs its third edition

– Art Salon Zurich celebrates its third edition

The artistic event is part of a desire to highlight the local fabric. Explanations from its co-founder.

BotTalk

Tell us how Art Salon Zurich started three years ago.

You should know that there is a whole cultural and political context behind our fair. With Sven Eisenhut, the founder of the Basel photo fair, we had the idea of ​​setting up a Zurich fair a few years ago. And of course, the pandemic prevented us from realizing this desire sooner. 2022 was the first edition which was immediately a great success. I think the need was there. It was imperative to create a third highlight of the year outside of Art Basel and Art Geneva. And this, with only one thing in mind: to highlight the Swiss artistic scene.

Do you think that this desire to place cultural Switzerland at the center of everything really sets you apart?

I am deeply convinced of this. Our primary concern is Swiss galleries and not international galleries. I think of those who, like mine, participated, or not, for a few years in the high mass that is Art Basel before being thanked for lack of sufficient resources. From the beginning of the 2000s, there were no more places for small or medium-sized merchants. And this state of affairs has had a real negative impact on Swiss artists too.

Why did you decide to change location for the 2025 edition of the fair?

We already had a lot of trouble finding this space which belongs to the SBB, but they now want it back, which allowed us to find a larger place in Oerlikon. The latter will offer us the possibility of welcoming more galleries.

Speaking of galleries, how do you select them?

It’s always a tricky question to judge the quality of a gallery. Initially, we contacted those who seemed essential to us. Then we had to limit ourselves because we cannot accommodate more than 30. They are all professional, with real intention and a well-defined program.

Do you favor one medium over another?

No not at all. We have photography as well as drawing, painting and sculpture. We also want to integrate more design for future editions and invite, as much as possible, institutions and foundations to participate.

What do you hope visitors take away from Art Salon Zurich?

Above all, I believe that the energy must be good, that minds must be stimulated and that the proposal must be innovative. We need a clever mix of all of this, while presenting emerging artists. We also offer a digital salon in parallel, for those who cannot physically travel. I hope that visitors include our fair in their calendar of annual events not to be missed. Just that (laughs…)!