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So I
find myself at the fabulous Manifesta 11 in Zürich where there is a frenzy of
excitement.
Everyone is passing through, a trickle here and a trickle there to check out Mike Bouchet’s ‘The Zürich Load,’ a masterful poop taking on the biennials curatorial theme, ‘What People Do For Money’ by working with the Zürich sewage-treatment facility. I walked into the room quite unaware and within no time had my stomach churning, throat retching and eyes watering. It was 80-tonnes of pressed faeces from the people of Zurich. I felt quite sorry for the other two artists in there as it was impossible to really take in their work. The day was warm and muggy and the extraction system did not seem to have been calculated correctly, it was intense and I don’t think I have ever been as shocked in my life. Damien Hirst’s rotting meat and flies is nothing compared to this work.
After I got over my horrible shock I sauntered down to Jon Rafman and encountered animals eating animals, which continued to make me feel quite uncomfortable.
Christian Jankowski’s theme had created a variety of moments at the biennial. I liked these comedy sketches on the wall.
The day was lightened by Evgeny Antufiev’s beautiful butterfly at the Great Church.
I really admired ‘The Historical Exhibition: Sites Under Construction’ at the Löwenbräukunst curated by Christian Jankowski and Francesca Gavin. Had a real soft spot for James Roberts’ ‘Grocery Trip.’
Thomas Zipp’s ‘The Orwell House Experiments’ was really great, I really enjoyed it.
A bit of time to admire Simon Denny’s miniature.
There were many surprises in the complex. The LUMA Foundation had set up house with smatterings of Frances Stark’s work and had a great warm working atmosphere inside with the LOVELY Cécile B. Evans beavering away with Karolina Dankow from Karma International.
Loved the Walead Beshty’s at Eva Presenhuber, Walead had curated his show to perfection. He is such a pleasure to collect and is a good old fashioned artist who doesn’t over-produce to please his audience, he works to his own pace.
A lovely surprise was the photographer Torbjørn Rødland, I had not really noticed his work before this trip. Then it was goodbye Zürich and yet again back to Berlin.
