Metaphors in Gallery Art – Spiritual Appropriations?

Why is the Esszimmer named after a space that at first seems to have little or nothing to do with art? How come a non-profit gallery is given such a metaphorical name? Nevertheless, I am reminded of my first day in the ESSZIMMER, when I asked myself exactly these questions and was not yet fully aware of what it means for one to work in a non-profit gallery.

The artworks that founder and Swiss artist Sibylle Feucht exhibits here offer a broad spectrum of different media. They are often concepts, statements or even complex projects. These invite the audience less to consider which work now fits best on the wall above the dining table. In my opinion, this is common practice in commercial galleries or at art fairs, because in such a context, buying and selling are deliberately in the foreground. In the Esszimmer, however, this is not the case – and I have gradually become more and more aware of one reason for this.

For how do you sell a work that is conceptual, like Jonas Hohnke‘s “Sender-Empfänger” concrete blocks, something kinetic like Willi Reiche‘s art machine “Sports” or an artistic video by Joachim Zoepf? With the more traditional media of art, for example painting or photography, buying or selling is more conceivable. And even possible in a non-profit gallery like the Esszimmer. In the end, Jonas Hohnke’s two concrete blocks would be just as saleable as his photograph “Die Welt”, his untitled carpet or his printed curtain. This realisation surprised me at first, but at the same time a light came on. And the metaphor of “the dining room” suddenly entered me on a deeper level.

It is often the small but subtle differences in how we name a place and how we perceive it in the end. The Esszimmer is a place where artists are given a stage for their statements. A place where work can be done freely, where diverse voices can be heard and seen. A place where, like in a dining room, you can talk and discuss the artworks together. In the end, it has an added value, both for the artists and for the visitors. Because a metaphorical name, especially for a non-profit gallery, creates access to the artworks exhibited here.

Metaphors, as I researched later, can be a good tool not only to lure people into an exhibition, but also to entice them with a play on words so that you know right away that there is a special intimacy and exchange waiting for you. After all, when someone invites you to a dinner, you never know in advance what exactly is in store. This uncertainty, which keeps conversations about art so open and dynamic, and which often exists in advance, is precisely what makes it so exciting and satisfying in the end.

Exciting topics like “art in public space”, for example, would be a debate in itself. Especially in this day and age. More and more, we seem to be preoccupied with questions about publicly accessible art, the democratisation of art spaces or art in everyday life. If you think back a century or two, for example, to the pompous architectural styles and manifold architectural designs that were initiated by decadent kings and thus could have been considered public art at the time, I personally am not at all surprised that art in public space remains an important topic today. Nowadays, however, it is hardly ever pushed forward by politicians or ministries, but by art and culture makers, funders and other players in the cultural landscape.

For a long time, art venues such as galleries and museums of contemporary art, especially liked to be set in the form of a classic modern white cube, as modern cathedrals or as sacred temples of art, where again there is a religious-spiritual metaphor. These are places of personal reflection in particular. But in the Esszimmer, the metaphor takes on a completely new form of spirituality – a place where people come together to talk about art or to reflect on it together. As close to each other as in the dining room with friends and family.