HOPE? HOPE! interview with engadin art talks founder cristina bechtler on the 2023 theme

ENGADIN ART TALKS /E.A.T. 2023

Engadin Art Talks (E.A.T.) presents a weekend-long program of insightful presentations, panel discussions, art exhibitions, perfomances and music from the 27 until the 29 of January 2023 in Zuoz, Engadin. Under the theme of HOFFNUNG? HOFFNUNG! / HOPE? HOPE!, this year, E.A.T. will explore the different meanings of ‘hope’ through the lens of the creative, humanitarian and scientific fields. ‘Hoffnung is an important driving life force, mainly addressed in times of the enlightenment period in Central Europe, in arts, philosophy, music, literature and science – a time of discovery and hope to find out more about the human condition and feeling humble towards nature,’ Cristina Bechtler, founder of E.A.T. tells designboom. ‘We are currently experiencing a similar time in history where we need to re-invent ourselves to find balance between creation and living without harming.’

As every year, the 2023 edition of E.A.T. will bring together a panel of international thought leaders from a wide range of fields, including ‘political, highly engaged artists and thinkers, writers, musicians, activists, socially engaged architects, and humanitarians among others,’ as Bechtler notes. Participants such as artists Ai Weiwei and Ernesto Neto, as well as ETH researcher Catherine De Wolf, will address urgent social and environmental issues of our time through their respective disciplines, leading to a deeper understanding of hope as a driving force inherent in human beings.

designboom is a media partner of E.A.T. 2023 and brings you selected projects, interviews and news from the event — stay tuned for our upcoming coverage.

all images courtesy E.A.T. / Engadin Art Talks Stiftung

27-29 JANUARY 2023 IN Zuoz, EngadiN

‘The enormous issues the world faces today have been intensified in the past two years,’ E.A.T.’s Cristina Bechtler explains. ‘Think of the pandemic, the melting glaciers, climate change, political radicalization, war and insecure times.’

All of those matters will be critically addressed by the multidisciplinary group of speakers participating in this year’s edition. To the question of what she hopes will come out of these presentations and discussions, Bechtler replies: ‘awareness and mobilization of the concession of the audience to enhance conscious actions… for a collective hope to a better future, the driving force we get up to every day.’

Taking place in the beautiful valley of the Engadin, in the eastern Swiss Alps, E.A.T. offers a chance to explore and enjoy the overall cultural scene of the region. Besides the program of talks, some of the event’s collaborations in Zuoz include the exhibition ‘Retrofuture-Lowtech’ by this year’s E.A.T. speakers Loїc Rogard and Céderic Charles at the Chapel San Bastiaun; an exhibition by Hannah Villiger with a performance as part of the E.A.T program at Museum Susch; and galleries and art spaces like Galerie Tschudi, Galerie Monica de Cardenas, the Bechtler Foundation with works by James Turrell, Lawrence Weiner and Tadashi Kawamata at the Hotel Castell and the work by Martin Kippenberger in Zuoz. Additional venues to visit during the Engadin Art Talks include 107 S-CHANF, Galerie von Bartha, Hauser & Wirth, and Stalla Madulain. Check here for the full 2023 program and list of cultural highlights.

from left to right: curators Daniel Baumann (Director, Kunsthalle Zürich), Philip Ursprung (Professor for the History of Art and Architecture and Dean of the Department of Architecture of ETH Zurich), Bice Curiger (Artistic Director Fondation Vincent Van Gogh Arles), Hans Ulrich Obrist (Artistic Director, Serpentine Galleries, London), Cristina Bechtler (Founder E.A.T.)

Full list of participating speakers

Francesca Bria (President of the Italian National Innovation Fund and member of the Roundtable for the New European Bauhaus, Italy), Cédric Carles (Director of Atelier21, artist and designer, Switzerland / France), Catherine De Wolf (Professor of Circular Engineering for Architecture at the ETH Zürich, Switzerland), Aïsha Devi (Musician and artist, Switzerland), Joachim Gauck (Former President of Germany), Camille Henrot (Artist, France), Sandi Hilal (Architect, artist, educator, Sweden), Mohomodou Houssouba (Author and literary scholar, Mali / Switzerland) Matthew Lutz-Kinoy (Artist, USA / France), Ernesto Neto (Artist, Brazil), Loïc Rogard (Interdisciplinary artist and environmental researcher, historian of alternative energies, France), Kenneth Roth (Former Executive Director Human Rights Watch, USA), Uli Sigg (Art collector, Switzerland), Bas Smets (Landscape architect, Belgium),  Barbara Stauffacher Solomon (Artist, USA), Natsuko Uchino (Artist, Japan / France), Ai Weiwei (Artist, on the run).

 

 

 

 

 

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project info:

event: E.A.T. / Engadin Art Talks 2023

2023 theme: HOFFNUNG? HOFFNUNG! (HOPE? HOPE!)

duration: 27-29 January, 2023
location: Zuoz, Engadin, Switzerland and online

tickets: Eventbrite

E.A.T. / Engadin Art Talks is a Forum of art, architecture, design, literature, and innovation that regularly takes place in Zuoz in the Swiss Engadin valley. With a year-round public programme, E.A.T. brings together catalyst thinkers from the creative and scientific disciplines to share their ideas and expertise while posing challenging new questions. By doing so, E.A.T. aims to find novel perspectives on relevant topics that define our present and shape our future.
Since its foundation, E.A.T. has featured more than 330 international speakers and contributors. In addition to the annual Forum in Zuoz, E.A.T. presents a nomadic series of talks and collaborations with international institutions throughout the year in some of Europe’s cultural capitals to pursue its mission abroad. E.A.T. was founded in 2010 by Cristina Bechtler together with Hans Ulrich Obrist.