Summer 2023 exhibitions

Luma Westbau announces its summer exhibitions of Arthur Jafa, Dimitri Chamblas and a presentation of the first chapter of Hans-Ulrich Obrist Archive: Édouard Glissant, all opening on June 9, 2023. 

Arthur Jafa: SloPEX
June 9–September 17, 2023

Arthur Jafa is one of the most significant contemporary artists practicing today. Over several decades he has constructed a compelling body of work which defies categorization. For SloPEX (2022), a slowed-down, modified iteration of his masterpiece APEX (2013), Jafa stretches the original video from 8 minutes and 22 seconds to now 105 minutes. Underscored by the beats of Detroit techno pioneer Robert Hood, the sound fills the entire exhibition space and the radical contrast of images, and complexity of associations, are daunting and surprising. Powerful and lyrical at the same time, his practice combines a profoundly unsettling blend of images and histories from diverse contexts and backgrounds. Bringing together affective memory that touches on matters such as the history of the United States of America, violence, repression, modalities of survival and how these exist in the production and dissemination of images, music, sound and time-based media, Jafa reflects on the ontology of race and of blackness.

Dimitri Chamblas: Slow Show Installation
June 9–September 17, 2023

Conceived and choreographed by Dimitri Chamblas, Slow Show is an intense collective dance performance that captivates with its minimal, precise, and concentrated visual impact. Premiered in 2018 with CalArts students in Los Angeles, the performance showcases its strength through slowed movements that are barely perceptible, emphasizing principles like trance and telepathy. Each unique iteration of Slow Show involves approximately 50 local participants, tailored to their immediate context. Accompanied by Eddie Ruscha’s sound and music, the 20-minute performance captivates audiences worldwide. In its Zurich debut, the Slow Show Installation at Luma Westbau presents 18 filmed portraits of participants from performances in various locations. Set in a specially designed environment with calming blue light and floating body projections, visitors are invited to recline, slow down, and engage in a shared experience.

Hans-Ulrich Obrist Archive, Chapter 1: “Édouard Glissant”
June 9–September 17, 2023

The first chapter of the Hans-Ulrich Obrist Archive honours Édouard Glissant, novelist, poet, essayist and one of the great writers of our time. Glissant was both a mentor to Obrist and an inspiration to the Luma project in Arles. The presentation includes more than six hours of video material from Glissant’s interviews, as well as archival materials. Glissant and Obrist shared a belief in conversation and reciprocal exchange as a means to produce new realities, with Glissant viewing a world in transformation as a ‘One-World’ that listens and learns from each of its unique voices.
The presentation also features contributions including a selection of posters, drawings, audio-visual and printed materials by contemporary artists who were close to Glissant or who feel connected to his thinking: Valerio Adami, Etel Adnan, Miquel Barceló, Tosh Basco and Wu Tsang, Daniel Boyd, Tony Cokes, Patrick Chamoiseau, Julien Creuzet, Manthia Diawara, Melvin Edwards, Édouard Glissant, Koo Jeong A, Dozie Kanu and Precious Okoyomon, Matthew Lutz-Kinoy, Julie Mehretu, Jota Mombaça, The Otolith Group, Philippe Parreno, Raqs Media Collective, Asad Raza, Anri Sala, Sylvie Séma-Glissant.

Our exhibitions are accompanied by a free engagement programme, including tours, events, and workshops for children. For more details, please visit westbau.com.