Zug, 01.05.2020

Cultural institutions hope for an early reopening

Planning is currently difficult for the Kunsthaus Zug and the local galleries. Exhibitions have been postponed or cancelled. And what will happen to Art Night (Kunstnacht) 2020?

It is so colourful and looks like a perfectly designed art object – the Corona virus. Within a very short time, it has managed to bring social and cultural life to a standstill: museums, art houses and galleries have had to close from one day to the next. Cultural workers are also affected, because, like institutions and galleries, they suffer losses as a result.

In the Zug region, exhibitions have had to close again shortly after their opening. Everyone is now eagerly awaiting the Federal Council's decision on whether galleries and museums will be to reopen from 11th May or 8th June.

Kunsthaus festival is cancelled
The Kunsthaus Zug was supposed to run the "Fantastic Surrealism" exhibition until 24 May, but it was closed in mid-March. Director Matthias Haldemann expects it to reopen on 8 June and says: "The current exhibition is to be extended until the summer. For this reason, the planned "Homage to Christine and Peter Kamm" that was planned for this period will be postponed. The celebration of the 30th anniversary of the "Kunsthaus an der Dorfstrasse" on 6 June will also not take place until next year." As Haldemann goes on to say, various clarifications are currently underway regarding the upcoming events.

Although the Kunsthaus has had to close its doors, it can still be visited, but only virtually. Haldemann says: "We have prepared some new events for the Internet." In addition to the digital tour through the exhibition or through the Kamm Stiftung collection, the art education offer has raised particular interest, for example, the "Art over Noon (Kunst über Mittag)" or the offer for schools and families. "As a result of the closure, we have developed new instruments, which we will continue to use in the future. The Internet offers an information possibility, but you can't convey as much here as with the original work on site, for example, regarding the surface, structure or format of an object. The virtual is merely a supplement, but it reaches people who rarely go to a museum, and we have found that people who live alone are grateful for our offer.

Up to the beginning of the Corona Crisis, the "Fantastic Surrealism" exhibition at the Kunsthaus Zug attracted interested visitors.  Due to the closure due to the crisis, the exhibition will be extended once the Kunsthaus is reopened.

Renggli Shop to open first
"This is now a difficult situation for us. We had already planned everything for the next two years," says Zug gallery owner Carla Renggli. When operations can be resumed depends on the decision of the Federal Council: either from 11 May or 8 June. "I will open the shop on May 11th. As Gabi Fuhrimann's exhibition was only on view for a short time, it may remain available until 23 May."

Carla Renggli points out that Monika Feucht's exhibition, from 25 April to 30 May, has been cancelled. She will try to find a later date, and is currently preparing to present the works of Esther Löffel. "If everything goes smoothly, we can reopen the gallery with her pictures on Wednesday, 10 June, in compliance with the hygiene and distance rules, of course. Because of the uncertainty, we try to keep all appointments for invitations and posters at short notice."

Opening with advance booking
In the gallery of Urs Reichlin in Zug, a new exhibition with the Solothurn artist Reinhard Fluri is already being prepared, after the last one, with M.S. Bastian/Isabelle L., had to be finished early. "We hope to be able to continue working from 13 May," says Urs Reichlin. "However, we have planned a pre-registration for the opening of the Fluri exhibition."

There is a change In the Billing Bild gallery in Baar: The pictures of Lea Achermann will be shown again until the summer. Gert Billing says: "We are hoping for 11 May, because it is very difficult for us too now."

Maria Ziegler, gallery owner of the Z-Galerie in Baar, would also like more security for planning. "The whole calendar is messed up. I’ve prepared for a continuation from 11 May and have already received protective masks from the pharmacy. The distance rules can be adhered to here well, there’s enough space. The service personnel at the vernissage will also wear masks."

Because Myriam Arnelas was only able to show her painting for one week, the exhibition will be extended until 20 June: an aperitif is planned for 14 June. The vernissage for the parallel exhibition of Myriam Arnelas in the cantonal administration building had to be cancelled. As Maria Ziegler informs, the exhibition will also be extended here, and the exhibition will conclude with a ‘finissage’ on 9 June. The Z-Galerie has also postponed the planned exhibition with Annemie Lieder.

Zuger Kunstnacht (Zug Art Night): still uncertain
It’s still open whether the Zuger Kunstnacht can still take place on the 19th September. We hear from the galleries that the preliminary planning is already underway. Co-organizer Carla Renggli says: "It's difficult, we have to plan flexibly so that we can react as quickly as possible. It is clear that we will wait until June for a decision."