An artist based in Zurich, Peter Baracchi works with topics and phenomena which emerge from our modern society and shape and influence our everyday life. Working with all kinds of materials and media, his recent practice is getting more and more sculptural and installative. In his latest work, the artist has decided to explore a politically charged issue – the boundaries. Since new boundaries are being made and the old ones are being moved all around the world, this means exclusion for some and inclusion for others. Titled Exclusive Society, the project created for the city of Zurich is conceived as a suburban garden that serves as an epitome of the bourgeoisie and the peaceful, well-kept life.
The Boundaries
New boundaries are constantly being built all around the globe – from, cities, and villages to those created in our heads. A manifestation of diverging worldviews, the issue of boundaries raises questions of who is allowed access and who is not. Besides playing a role on the international political level, the issue is also present on a micro level – at one’s own front door or yard. These exclusive spaces result in the inclusion of a small selected group and the exclusion of “unsuitable” ones. The desire for private space is growing stronger, yet, the world keeps getting more glassy and transparent and the privacy is under attack through new technologies as well as for security reasons. This raises a question whether we are heading towards an open society or a world with less freedom for the majority of individuals.
The Private Garden
The artist Peter Baracchi has decided to tackle this social and political phenomenon in his latest art project. He especially addresses these societal inconsistencies regarding this issues. Therefore, he presents us with the perfectly-tended garden in the middle of the urban city. The epitome of the conservative, the garden is an externally demarcated private space surrounded by steel and concrete. Filled with colored flowers, fragrant grasses, soft lawns and comfortable sitting, the garden is actually surrounded by a security fence. Only the artists us allowed to enter this paradise. Yet, this supposedly protected space is exposed to everyone’s gaze. The same goes for the artist who documents all his activities in this paradise with a video camera and puts them on the Internet as a live performance.
Peter Baracchi Art Project in Zurich
The project Exclusive Society is organized by the City of Zurich in cooperation with Galerie SOON from Zurich. The performance will be on view at Altstetterplatz in Zurich from June 10th until September 3rd, 2017. All live streams of performances on site will be shown online. Personal visits on site and private guided tours through the garden can be arranged directly with the artist.