Public guided tour "How language invents the world"

The linguistic and cultural landscape of Graubünden serves as the starting point for the exhibition "How Language Invents the World". The Graubünden Art Museum thus takes up a major theme of human culture and locates this regional expression in global contexts. Focusing on a selection of works by national and international artists as well as historical artefacts from Graubünden, the significance of language and narrative in community and society is highlighted.

The exhibition is based on linguistic documents from Graubünden, such as the travel diary of Gion Casper Collenberg from Lumbrin from the 18th century. At that time, the word "la mar" existed for the sea in Rhaeto-Romanic, but there are no expressions for ebb and flow. In his diary, Collenberg refers to a natural phenomenon that is well known in the mountains of Graubünden. It describes a stream whose level rises when it rains and later falls again. "That's how it is with the sea," he writes. The exhibition "How Language Invents the World" sheds light on the power of language to create ideas, to produce fictional narratives and thus to guide our view of the world. The works of artists such as Not Vital, Erica Pedretti, Thomas Hirschhorn, Marcel Broodthaers, Ian Hamilton Finlay and Susan Hiller combine themes such as cultural identity, political narratives, migration and language change. The all-encompassing topic is considered within various turning points and shows how language influences the way we think, act and understand the world.

The exhibition is accompanied by a richly illustrated publication with literary texts by Gianna Olinda Cadonau, Asa S. Hendry, Marina Skalova, Joachim B. Schmidt, Usama Al Shahmani, Vincenzo Todisco, Ivna Žic, an introduction by Stephan Kunz and an essay by Damian Jurt.

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

Registration via the homepage kunstmuseum.gr.ch/de/Seiten/start.aspx is required.