The starting point for this publication is the exhibition “Apartment Show, Hadwigstrasse 6, 3rd floor”, which took place in St.Gallen at the end of March 1997. The subject of this collection of texts is the preoccupation with the theme of “Art in private spaces” and alternative art presentations.
In her text, Claudia Spinelli gives a current overview of alternative art spaces in German-speaking Switzerland, asks about the relationship between institutions and off-scenes, and the existence of an underground in art. Mark Staff Brandl undertakes an art-historical excursion into the apartment show and similar forms of presentation and asks about the conditions of current art production. While Brandl draws his examples from American and European culture, Roger Walch gives insight into the way art is handled in Asia. Walch illuminates the strict separation between public and private, which characterizes everyday life in Japan, and tells of the tradition of the “byôbu matsuri” festival, at which houses are opened and private art treasures are presented to the public. From a personal perspective, Dorothea Strauss deals in her essay with privacy and the private in itself. Stefan Banz talks with Hans-Ulrich Obrist about various exhibition models and forms of presentation. Using his own projects and exhibitions as examples, Obrist explains his mediation concerns. Johannes M. Hedinger reports in his text about the Apartment Show in St.Gallen, a three-day event with exhibition and actions in his private apartment.