Drawinghell 7

Drawinghell is a drawing installation on fabrics that always arises on the spot and is concerned with the issues personal background, empathy and identity.

For the first time, all the cloths and curtains I have painted in various places come together in one installation.

The last series of cloths was created in Paris. I was on an atelier scholarship by Visarte Ost at the Cité International des Art. The contrasts frequently stirred me up. On the one hand, there was the polished world of fashion and art. On the other hand, there were many people living on the streets, homeless people and refugees. I bought the curtains, tablecloths and sheets at flea markets. I painted the first cloth at the Canal Martin next to the illegal refugee tents. I started talking to them and returned the next day. While I paint, I do not think about what I am painting, I try to be completely in the moment and transform the atmosphere into a visual depiction. The men from Afghanistan interpreted my picture. They saw a lot of their situation in it. A week later, they were suddenly gone. Police and human rights organizations had cleared the tent city. I tried to remember their faces. The police, who guarded the place, watched me as well. I started talking to them, too. They knew what I painted. I started painting in all kinds of different places in this city. Every neighborhood had its own mood. That way, I began to understand the city. I painted on the ground, referring to the many blankets that lie on the streets, left by homeless people.

For many years, the triannual exposition “Heimspiel” has enjoyed popularity among artists and visitors. In 2018, another Eastern Switzerland canton, Glarus, joins the game: the open competition to be part of the "Heimspiel" exhibition invites artists from cantons Appenzell Ausserrhoden and Innerrhoden, Glarus, St. Gallen, Thurgau, and from Liechtenstein and Vorarlberg.

The idea of networking and presenting current, contemporary artistic work over and beyond borders is traditionally on the fore. Accordingly, this year’s exhibitions from December 16 to February 10, 2019 take place at Kunstmuseum St. Gallen, Kunsthalle Sankt Gallen and, newly, at Kunstmuseum Appenzell and Kunstraum Dornbirn.

• Exhibition views: Anna-Tina Eberhard

• Photos: Isabelle Toellenare, Luisa Zürcher, Christian Hörler, Lika Nüssli

• Heimspiel 2018