Featured Events in Zurich in January, 2025 (May Updated)

The Kunsthaus Zürich presents a diverse exhibition programme that unites opposites and opens up innovative ways of viewing art. The focus is on surprising moments that invite visitors to rethink boundaries and open up new worlds of perception. This year's outstanding artists include Roman Signer, known for his spectacular installations, Monster Chetwynd, whose provocative works challenge traditional art forms, and Refik Anadol, a pioneer of AI-supported art. These and other globally unique projects offer fresh perspectives and unforgettable experiences that go beyond traditional exhibition formats. From the iconic Dada movement to cutting-edge digital art, from intimate to large-scale works, the coming year promises an inspiring journey through time, space and media at Kunsthaus Zürich.

James Franco is certainly the only Hollywood star to read Marcel Proust on Spiderman films sets. Twice Golden Globe-awarded (2002 for James Dean role; 2018 for The Disaster Artist), Oscar-nominated, the 46 year old actor played in some hundred films and series since he was 16. Actor-director-producer, James Franco has been parallelly acting in life as an academic with a PhD from Yale, a writer publishing poetry, a model for Gucci, and mostly as a visual artist since his teenage years developing a considerable visual work mixing painting, video art and performance. After shows with MOCA Los Angeles (Rebel, 2012, along with artists friends Paul McCarthy, Douglas Gordon, Ed Ruscha…) and in galleries including Pace and Gagosian, Franco presents his new exhibition at Galerie Gmurzynska, Zurich, titled Hollywood is Hell. A powerful series of rough and complex collages composed of various layers of images and signs, symbols and text. 28 shocking canvases and objets d’art appearing as destroyed posters on the street walls of some dirty district will be on display: those collages represent for James Franco “a portrait of Los Angeles during Covid, the artist explains. The streets were empty, the posters damaged on the walls… It was a sort of almost post-apocalyptic atmosphere. I lived at that time near the Hollywood cemetery, where so many stars are buried, and I was walking there. Dreamland had became for me a waste land. And this shit is actually how the dream factory looks like”. One of those collages on canvas is purposely titled: “Hollywood is Hell”. The whole series of works, exhibited for the first time, constitutes a kind of deconstruction of a certain glamorous mythology of Hollywood. Masculinity is devastated – from Bruce Willis’ figure to Batman icon, through Jordan and Travolta – as one of the pillars of a decadent mass entertainment culture. It may come as no surprise that James Franco loves William Burroughs’ literature and his deconstructed writing. Those collages are true deconstructed works. James Franco likes more than everything to walk on the opposite side of the shinning Dream City fantasy. In the highly-standardized Hollywood system, art eventually became a kind of refuge for the actor, the last place of freedom.

James Franco is certainly the only Hollywood star to read Marcel Proust on Spiderman films sets. Twice Golden Globe-awarded (2002 for James Dean role; 2018 for The Disaster Artist), Oscar-nominated, the 46 year old actor played in some hundred films and series since he was 16. Actor-director-producer, James Franco has been parallelly acting in life as an academic with a PhD from Yale, a writer publishing poetry, a model for Gucci, and mostly as a visual artist since his teenage years developing a considerable visual work mixing painting, video art and performance. After shows with MOCA Los Angeles (Rebel, 2012, along with artists friends Paul McCarthy, Douglas Gordon, Ed Ruscha…) and in galleries including Pace and Gagosian, Franco presents his new exhibition at Galerie Gmurzynska, Zurich, titled Hollywood is Hell. A powerful series of rough and complex collages composed of various layers of images and signs, symbols and text. 28 shocking canvases and objets d’art appearing as destroyed posters on the street walls of some dirty district will be on display: those collages represent for James Franco “a portrait of Los Angeles during Covid, the artist explains. The streets were empty, the posters damaged on the walls… It was a sort of almost post-apocalyptic atmosphere. I lived at that time near the Hollywood cemetery, where so many stars are buried, and I was walking there. Dreamland had became for me a waste land. And this shit is actually how the dream factory looks like”. One of those collages on canvas is purposely titled: “Hollywood is Hell”. The whole series of works, exhibited for the first time, constitutes a kind of deconstruction of a certain glamorous mythology of Hollywood. Masculinity is devastated – from Bruce Willis’ figure to Batman icon, through Jordan and Travolta – as one of the pillars of a decadent mass entertainment culture. It may come as no surprise that James Franco loves William Burroughs’ literature and his deconstructed writing. Those collages are true deconstructed works. James Franco likes more than everything to walk on the opposite side of the shinning Dream City fantasy. In the highly-standardized Hollywood system, art eventually became a kind of refuge for the actor, the last place of freedom.

James Franco is certainly the only Hollywood star to read Marcel Proust on Spiderman films sets. Twice Golden Globe-awarded (2002 for James Dean role; 2018 for The Disaster Artist), Oscar-nominated, the 46 year old actor played in some hundred films and series since he was 16. Actor-director-producer, James Franco has been parallelly acting in life as an academic with a PhD from Yale, a writer publishing poetry, a model for Gucci, and mostly as a visual artist since his teenage years developing a considerable visual work mixing painting, video art and performance. After shows with MOCA Los Angeles (Rebel, 2012, along with artists friends Paul McCarthy, Douglas Gordon, Ed Ruscha…) and in galleries including Pace and Gagosian, Franco presents his new exhibition at Galerie Gmurzynska, Zurich, titled Hollywood is Hell. A powerful series of rough and complex collages composed of various layers of images and signs, symbols and text. 28 shocking canvases and objets d’art appearing as destroyed posters on the street walls of some dirty district will be on display: those collages represent for James Franco “a portrait of Los Angeles during Covid, the artist explains. The streets were empty, the posters damaged on the walls… It was a sort of almost post-apocalyptic atmosphere. I lived at that time near the Hollywood cemetery, where so many stars are buried, and I was walking there. Dreamland had became for me a waste land. And this shit is actually how the dream factory looks like”. One of those collages on canvas is purposely titled: “Hollywood is Hell”. The whole series of works, exhibited for the first time, constitutes a kind of deconstruction of a certain glamorous mythology of Hollywood. Masculinity is devastated – from Bruce Willis’ figure to Batman icon, through Jordan and Travolta – as one of the pillars of a decadent mass entertainment culture. It may come as no surprise that James Franco loves William Burroughs’ literature and his deconstructed writing. Those collages are true deconstructed works. James Franco likes more than everything to walk on the opposite side of the shinning Dream City fantasy. In the highly-standardized Hollywood system, art eventually became a kind of refuge for the actor, the last place of freedom.

The Kunsthaus Zürich presents a diverse exhibition programme that unites opposites and opens up innovative ways of viewing art. The focus is on surprising moments that invite visitors to rethink boundaries and open up new worlds of perception. This year's outstanding artists include Roman Signer, known for his spectacular installations, Monster Chetwynd, whose provocative works challenge traditional art forms, and Refik Anadol, a pioneer of AI-supported art. These and other globally unique projects offer fresh perspectives and unforgettable experiences that go beyond traditional exhibition formats. From the iconic Dada movement to cutting-edge digital art, from intimate to large-scale works, the coming year promises an inspiring journey through time, space and media at Kunsthaus Zürich.

For her second exhibition with Hauser & Wirth and her first solo show in Switzerland, Uman presents all new paintings and works on paper at the gallery’s Zurich location on Limmatstrasse in partnership with Nicola Vassell Gallery, New York NY. Working in Upstate New York, Uman’s new paintings reflect her reverence for the natural world. Fluidly navigating in-between realms to explore both the physical and spiritual, the artist intertwines abstraction, figuration and meditative patterning. Expanding on this unique visual language, Uman’s new body of work also explores ideas of color field painting. With some works suspended from the ceiling and a site-specific wall mural that transforms part of the gallery space, Uman invites the viewer to be immersed in her lavishly detailed and opulently colored worlds, replete with gesture, geometry and evocations of the sublime.

For her second exhibition with Hauser & Wirth and her first solo show in Switzerland, Uman presents all new paintings and works on paper at the gallery’s Zurich location on Limmatstrasse in partnership with Nicola Vassell Gallery, New York NY. Working in Upstate New York, Uman’s new paintings reflect her reverence for the natural world. Fluidly navigating in-between realms to explore both the physical and spiritual, the artist intertwines abstraction, figuration and meditative patterning. Expanding on this unique visual language, Uman’s new body of work also explores ideas of color field painting. With some works suspended from the ceiling and a site-specific wall mural that transforms part of the gallery space, Uman invites the viewer to be immersed in her lavishly detailed and opulently colored worlds, replete with gesture, geometry and evocations of the sublime.

This January, the artist Rachel Khedoori presents an installation of new work in the second-floor gallery of Hauser & Wirth Zurich, Limmatstrasse. Over the course of a career spanning 30 years, Khedoori has worked in various mediums—film, sculpture and installation to reinterpret space and challenge perception through the discrete displacement of her mediums, materials and forms.

This January, the artist Rachel Khedoori presents an installation of new work in the second-floor gallery of Hauser & Wirth Zurich, Limmatstrasse. Over the course of a career spanning 30 years, Khedoori has worked in various mediums—film, sculpture and installation to reinterpret space and challenge perception through the discrete displacement of her mediums, materials and forms.

For her second exhibition with Hauser & Wirth and her first solo show in Switzerland, Uman presents all new paintings and works on paper at the gallery’s Zurich location on Limmatstrasse in partnership with Nicola Vassell Gallery, New York NY. Working in Upstate New York, Uman’s new paintings reflect her reverence for the natural world. Fluidly navigating in-between realms to explore both the physical and spiritual, the artist intertwines abstraction, figuration and meditative patterning. Expanding on this unique visual language, Uman’s new body of work also explores ideas of color field painting. With some works suspended from the ceiling and a site-specific wall mural that transforms part of the gallery space, Uman invites the viewer to be immersed in her lavishly detailed and opulently colored worlds, replete with gesture, geometry and evocations of the sublime.

This January, the artist Rachel Khedoori presents an installation of new work in the second-floor gallery of Hauser & Wirth Zurich, Limmatstrasse. Over the course of a career spanning 30 years, Khedoori has worked in various mediums—film, sculpture and installation to reinterpret space and challenge perception through the discrete displacement of her mediums, materials and forms.

Christophe Guye Galerie presents the third solo exhibition “The Tapestry” by Erik Madigan Heck (*1983, United States) at the gallery. On display is a selection of works, most of them from his latest monograph “The Tapestry”, published by Thames & Hudson in late 2024.

Christophe Guye Galerie presents the third solo exhibition “The Tapestry” by Erik Madigan Heck (*1983, United States) at the gallery. On display is a selection of works, most of them from his latest monograph “The Tapestry”, published by Thames & Hudson in late 2024.

Christophe Guye Galerie presents the third solo exhibition “The Tapestry” by Erik Madigan Heck (*1983, United States) at the gallery. On display is a selection of works, most of them from his latest monograph “The Tapestry”, published by Thames & Hudson in late 2024.

We present a unique exhibition that highlights the artistic and biographical parallels between the Chinese-Canadian painter Matthew Wong and Vincent van Gogh. The focus is on 40 imaginary landscapes and interiors by Matthew Wong, which are being shown for the first time in Switzerland, complemented by selected masterpieces by Vincent van Gogh.

Atelier Bossard in Lucerne was one of Switzerland’s most renowned goldsmith’s workshops in the 19th century. Splendid trophies, silverware and jewellery were produced under the leadership of company founder Johann Karl Bossard (1846-1914). The staff not only created their own designs but also crafted exact copies of historical objects from the Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque periods. Craftsmanship had recovered its appeal as people pushed back against industrial mass production. A visit to Bossard’s and the purchase of a prestige item were de rigueur for wealthy noble families and rich industrialists in the booming tourist city of Lucerne. In 2013, the contents of the goldsmith’s workshop were added to the collection at the Swiss National Museum. The exhibition in the National Museum Zurich’s Hall of Fame displays designs, models and historical photos in addition to the workshop’s most beautiful pieces, reviving Bossard’s former brilliance.

Japan has a long and rich tradition of graphic design. Its abundance of outstanding works and idiosyncratic designers makes this island nation as thrilling as ever. While Europe is well acquainted with the designers of the postwar period, Japan’s contemporary design scene has been largely invisible. Japanese Graphic Design Today will focus on this generation. By featuring designers born between 1973 and 1993, the exhibition will present an overview of the work being produced today. With numerous originals and creations that have never before been shown outside of Japan, it will provide an insight into the vast array of its contemporary design practices.

Jun Ahn, Miles Aldridge, Nobuyoshi Araki, Roger Ballen, Edward Burtynsky, Stéphane Couturier, Stephen Gill, Karla Hiraldo Voleau, Simen Johan, Syoin Kajii, Rinko Kawauchi, Nick Knight, Ola Kolehmainen, Seba Kurtis, Jung Lee, Brigitte Lustenberger, Erik Madigan Heck, Yoshinori Mizutani, Daido Moriyama, Risaku Suzuki, Dominique Teufen, Albert Watson, Michael Wolf, John Yuyi

Jun Ahn, Miles Aldridge, Nobuyoshi Araki, Roger Ballen, Edward Burtynsky, Stéphane Couturier, Stephen Gill, Karla Hiraldo Voleau, Simen Johan, Syoin Kajii, Rinko Kawauchi, Nick Knight, Ola Kolehmainen, Seba Kurtis, Jung Lee, Brigitte Lustenberger, Erik Madigan Heck, Yoshinori Mizutani, Daido Moriyama, Risaku Suzuki, Dominique Teufen, Albert Watson, Michael Wolf, John Yuyi

Jun Ahn, Miles Aldridge, Nobuyoshi Araki, Roger Ballen, Edward Burtynsky, Stéphane Couturier, Stephen Gill, Karla Hiraldo Voleau, Simen Johan, Syoin Kajii, Rinko Kawauchi, Nick Knight, Ola Kolehmainen, Seba Kurtis, Jung Lee, Brigitte Lustenberger, Erik Madigan Heck, Yoshinori Mizutani, Daido Moriyama, Risaku Suzuki, Dominique Teufen, Albert Watson, Michael Wolf, John Yuyi

Galerie Eva Presenhuber presents Echoes, its debut solo exhibition with Nairobi-based artist Chemu Ng’ok.

When one talks about the work of Johnny Izatt-Lowry, one often wants to start with the classic movie trailer intro “In a world where…” (add stirring music). He takes from one world and places it into another. The first world is a fast-moving, stressful and at times dark one - the digital world. The other is ours - the physical. The pathos employed by Izatt-Lowry also resembles an epic; the works are understood as a wide-ranging, comprehensive narrative of a reality of our time.

Natural disasters, water shortages, toxic wastewater discharges... The world is facing increasingly severe water resource challenges. How humans deal with precious water resources will determine the future development of humanity and the earth. This exhibition will collect design works from various fields such as architecture, art, and science, and introduce design concepts born around "water" from all over the world and their potential to reshape the future. Each designer tries to open up a way out of the water crisis for mankind by providing innovative solutions.

James Franco is certainly the only Hollywood star to read Marcel Proust on Spiderman films sets. Twice Golden Globe-awarded (2002 for James Dean role; 2018 for The Disaster Artist), Oscar-nominated, the 46 year old actor played in some hundred films and series since he was 16. Actor-director-producer, James Franco has been parallelly acting in life as an academic with a PhD from Yale, a writer publishing poetry, a model for Gucci, and mostly as a visual artist since his teenage years developing a considerable visual work mixing painting, video art and performance. After shows with MOCA Los Angeles (Rebel, 2012, along with artists friends Paul McCarthy, Douglas Gordon, Ed Ruscha…) and in galleries including Pace and Gagosian, Franco presents his new exhibition at Galerie Gmurzynska, Zurich, titled Hollywood is Hell. A powerful series of rough and complex collages composed of various layers of images and signs, symbols and text. 28 shocking canvases and objets d’art appearing as destroyed posters on the street walls of some dirty district will be on display: those collages represent for James Franco “a portrait of Los Angeles during Covid, the artist explains. The streets were empty, the posters damaged on the walls… It was a sort of almost post-apocalyptic atmosphere. I lived at that time near the Hollywood cemetery, where so many stars are buried, and I was walking there. Dreamland had became for me a waste land. And this shit is actually how the dream factory looks like”. One of those collages on canvas is purposely titled: “Hollywood is Hell”. The whole series of works, exhibited for the first time, constitutes a kind of deconstruction of a certain glamorous mythology of Hollywood. Masculinity is devastated – from Bruce Willis’ figure to Batman icon, through Jordan and Travolta – as one of the pillars of a decadent mass entertainment culture. It may come as no surprise that James Franco loves William Burroughs’ literature and his deconstructed writing. Those collages are true deconstructed works. James Franco likes more than everything to walk on the opposite side of the shinning Dream City fantasy. In the highly-standardized Hollywood system, art eventually became a kind of refuge for the actor, the last place of freedom.

From markets to department stores to online: where and how we shop has changed drastically over the past 170 years. And consumption itself is constantly evolving, too. More money and more free time are shaping what we can do, what we need and what we want, both individually and collectively. This is evidenced by a wide range of photos, as well as graphic works from posters to shopping bags. The exhibition draws on pieces from the Swiss National Museum collection to present eclectic imagery from everyday life. It ranges from the colourful kiosk to the department store that has everything, and from a cheerful get-together at the local pub to a photo slideshow at home reminiscing about past summer holidays.

Fespo 2025, the anticipated annual event for travel enthusiasts and industry professionals, is set to take over the Zurich exhibition in Zürich, Switzerland. From January 30th to February 2nd, attendees will be treated to a showcase of the latest trends, destinations, and innovations in the world of travel. " "Held in the heart of Europe, Fespo 2025 promises to be a melting pot of cultures, ideas, and experiences. With exhibitors from all corners of the globe, visitors can expect to be whisked away on a journey of discovery without even leaving the venue. At the Zurich exhibition, one of the city's premier event spaces, there'll be plenty of room for networking, learning, and of course, fun." "Whether a seasoned traveler or someone looking to take their first steps into exploring the world, Fespo 2025 is the event to be at. So mark those calendars, and prepare for an adventure at Fespo 2025. It's an occasion not to be missed, and certainly one that will leave attendees with itchy feet and a head full of dreams!