Movements at Neuchâtel Museum of Art and History

Exhibition title: Movements

Venue: Neuchâtel Museum of Art and History, Neuchâtel, Switzerland

Date: March, 2022 – 

Photography: all images copyright and courtesy of the artists and Neuchâtel Museum of Art and History

At the heart of life, movement shapes the trajectories of individuals, objects and ideas. Because of its geographical position and its history, Neuchâtel has naturally developed strong relationships with foreign countries. Migratory movements and the circulation of goods and techniques have been driving forces in its development. They have also contributed to the construction and definition of its identities.

On the occasion of its new permanent exhibition, the Museum of Art and History questions its collections and puts them into dialogue through the prism of movement, a notion that is both individual and universal.

The exhibition offers a new and interdisciplinary perspective on mobility. What are the profiles and motivations of migrants? What role do wars and international trade play in movement? What is the nature of the goods produced and the strategies implemented to export them? What are the links between trade networks and the slave trade? What do artists seek under distant skies? What obstacles do migrants encounter in their daily lives? A journey through small and large stories where memory and the richness of destinies are reflected

Movements, 2022, exhibition view, ©Neuchâtel Museum of Art and History

Movements, 2022, exhibition view, ©Neuchâtel Museum of Art and History

Movements, 2022, exhibition view, ©Neuchâtel Museum of Art and History

Movements, 2022, exhibition view, ©Neuchâtel Museum of Art and History

Movements, 2022, exhibition view, ©Neuchâtel Museum of Art and History

Movements, 2022, exhibition view, ©Neuchâtel Museum of Art and History

Movements, 2022, exhibition view, ©Neuchâtel Museum of Art and History

Movements, 2022, exhibition view, ©Neuchâtel Museum of Art and History

Movements, 2022, exhibition view, ©Neuchâtel Museum of Art and History

Movements, 2022, exhibition view, ©Neuchâtel Museum of Art and History

Movements, 2022, exhibition view, ©Neuchâtel Museum of Art and History

Movements, 2022, exhibition view, ©Neuchâtel Museum of Art and History

Movements, 2022, exhibition view, ©Neuchâtel Museum of Art and History

Rudy Decelière, The Wind You Never Felt, 2021 (détail) © Sandra Pointet (FMAC)

Collection of samples of Mulhouse and Swiss Indians, between 1823 and 1873 Printed cotton glued on paper© Stefano Iori

Indian Sample Roll Manufacture de Vauvilliers, Neuchâtel, 1st half of the 19th century Cylinder-printed cotton glued to cardboard

Peter Aerschmann (*1969), Invisible, 2022, Vidéo, 10 min, loop © Musée d’art et d’histoire

Christian Lutz (*1973), Col du Lukmanier, de la série No man’s land, 2015, tirage au jet d’encre contrecollé sur aluminium © Musée d’art et d’histoire

Tanja Boukal (*1976), Patterns, 2021, Gold thread embroidery on modern photographic print and on five canvases reproducing Indian motifs © Musée d’art et d’histoire de Neuchâtel

Henry Brandt (1921-1998), Arrivée de travailleuses et travailleurs étrangers en Suisse, 1964, Modern print from silver print © Fonds Henry Brandt, MahN

Gérard Schneider (1896-1986), Opus 80 M, 1979, mixed technique on canvas, 153 x 213.5 cm © Musée d’art et d’histoire

Valérie Favre (*1959), Weisse Katze, 2017, Indian ink, watercolor and graphite on paper, 380 x 300 mm Musée d’art et d’histoire © Maciej Czepiel

Valérie Favre (*1959), Exit-Exit, 2015-2016, Indian ink, watercolour, dry pastel, gouache, typewriter inscriptions and collage on paper, 225 x 210 mm Musée d’art et d’histoire © Maciej Czepiel