Research project on feminist artist and activist Doris Stauffer, culminating in an exhibition and monograph. In close collaboration with the artist, Simone Koller and Mara Züst compiled the first monograph on this important pioneer of experimental art education in Switzerland.
While sorting through the material for a book about Serge Stauffer, edited by curator Michael Hiltbrunner, documents from his wife Doris Stauffer kept surfacing, revealing details of an eventful life. Curious to know more, we invited Doris to speak about her work and her close relationship to the history of feminist activism and experimental art mediation in Switzerland.
This formed the starting point for a research project, where Simone Koller and Mara Züst met the artist for weekly conversations and to survey her personal archive, which included teaching materials, diaries, published texts, and an extensive collection of letters written between family members.
In the lead up to the publication of the monograph, the exhibition der januar, der februar, der märz, die april, die mai, die welt at Zurich offspace les Complices* offered a glimpse into the project’s research. Selected works were displayed in an associative, non-hierarchical arrangement, intersecting the fields of mediation, domestic work, art, craft and political activism.
Curated by Mara Züst, Simone Koller and Andrea Thal.
For the monograph, Stauffer’s biography unfolds through a richly illustrated text collage, combining original material with new commentary. The publication includes text contributions by Michael Hiltbrunner, Andrea Thal, Kay Turner, and Mara Züst, focussing on different aspects of the artist’s oeuvre.
Published by Scheidegger & Spiess.
