Wie Sprache die Welt erfindet
Bündner Kunstmuseum Chur

Art—Narrative—Utopia

The hypothesis that the world was once sustained by grand established narratives may feel reassuring but has in fact long been refuted. The diverse linguistic and cultural landscape of the Swiss canton of Grisons serves as point of departure for the project Wie Sprache die Welt erfindet, (How Language Invents the World). In the group exhibition and this publication the Bündner Kunstmuseum investigates the significance of language, narrative spaces, and stories in communities and society and applies these specific regional characteristics to the prevailing structures of storytelling.

The publication illustrates the socially transformative potential of languages and narratives from the perspective of visual art and literature. Complementing the works, literary writings by Gianna Olinda Cadonau, Asa S. Hendry, Marina Skalova, Joachim B. Schmidt, Usama Al Shahmani, Vincenzo Todisco, and Ivna Žic delineate the book’s thematic framework, probing the speculative question: Which narratives have the potential to engender novel perspectives on the world and establish a deeper connection to ourselves and our environment? With an introduction by artistic director Stephan Kunz and an essay by curator Damian Jurt.

Artists: Carl Andre, Arman, Irma Blank, Marcel Broodthaers, Alois Carigiet, Christo, Gion Casper Collenberg, Marcel Duchamp, John Furnival, Gilbert & George, Eugen Gomringer, Ian Hamilton Finlay / David Ballantyne, Susan Hiller, Karla Hiraldo Voleau, Thomas Hirschhorn / Marcus Steinweg, Jenny Holzer, Rebecca Horn, Vicente Huidobro, Bethan Huws, Marcel Janco, Pascal Lampert, Maude Léonard-Contant, Annette Kelm, Jan Kiefer, Barbara Kruger, Bruce Nauman, Seiichi Niikuni / Pierre Garnier, Meret Oppenheim, Hans Op de Beeck, Erica Pedretti, VALIE EXPORT, Francis Picabia, Julien Prévieux, Dieter Roth, Kurt Schwitters, Zineb Sedira, Augustas Serapinas, André Thomkins, Nora Turato, Jacques de la Villeglé, Not Vital, Kemang Wa Lehulere, Ruth and Robert Wolf-Rehfeldt