Engadin Art Talks takes place in conjunction to Davos, Switzerland, however the topic is art but with the same aim of benefiting humanity and development.
Since over ten years the E.A.T. / Engadin Art Talks takes place at the Halle am Plazzet in Zuoz every year at the end of January. Each year, a new topic determines the framework for the talks.
The Engadin region is renowned throughout the world for its magnificent scenery, winter sports and the glamour of St Moritz. What is often forgotten, however, is that the Engadin was always a prominent location for art and artists, philosophy and dialogue, with prominent visitors, artists and thinkers passing through and residing in the region.
The mission is to bridge and integrate art, architecture and landscape with a holistic visitor’s experience. HOFFNUNG? HOFFNUNG!, the upcoming event that translates as HOPE? HOPE!, encourages a deeper understanding of hope as an intrinsically human state of mind and as a fundamental driving force. The weekend’s public programme sees the participation of international speakers from within and outside the creative field, thus enhancing a plurality of voices.
Participating speakers include artists, architects and landscape architects, authors, scientists, sustainability and humanitarian experts whose practice deals with the environment and notions of togetherness, both physical and verbal. The gathering in Zuoz covers a range of topics that span from the artistic practices of some contemporary artists, the exploration of humanitarian, social, cultural, and political issues, the search for novel responses to the climate change crisis, and the investigation of new visions of our social lives.
The curatorial team that defines the respective topic consists of Daniel Baumann, Director Kunsthalle Zürich, Bice Curiger, artistic Director Fondation Vincent van Gogh Arles, Hans Ulrich Obrist, Artistic Director Serpentine Gallery London, Philip Ursprung, Professor of Art and Architectural History ETH Zürich.
Thus, over the past eight years, more than 290 international artists, architects, designers and writers have come to us as guests and presented their projects, ideas and visions on the defined theme.
E.A.T. / Engadin Art Talks were founded by Cristina Bechtler together with Hans Ulrich Obrist.
The correspondence between the members of the Crystal Chain, a group comprising twelve architects and artist established in winter 1919 by Bruno Taut, provides a theoretical basis for the E.A.T. / Engadin Art Talks — as well as the theme of the first event in 2010. After the First World War, the members of the group wanted to develop new ideas and utopias, and thus establish the foundations for an architecture of the future. The medium they used to communicate was a chain letter in which ideas, drafts and drawings were circulated and discussed under pseudonyms. Their aim was to foster belief and community symbolically through (imaginary) ceremonial buildings.
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