Project

The art space Villa Renata was launched in 2011. Originally envisaged as a temporary use of the premises, Villa Renata is now an exhibition space for contemporary art that focuses on a mix of emerging and established artists, both Swiss and international. Five to seven exhibitions take place at Villa Renata each year. The supporting program includes guided tours, readings, and concerts, but also extends to participatory events, talks, and informal gatherings. The works shown by the invited artists are often site-specific and based on the nature of the building, which was constructed in keeping with the bourgeois architecture of the late nineteenth century. In all, there are eleven exhibition rooms over three floors, totaling 250 square meters; on the upper level is a penthouse that is available for residencies. A large, wild garden also forms part of the complex. The project includes four distinct formats: guest projects that largely operate autonomously; collaborations with other art spaces and initiatives that also entail the joint development of projects; local events that involve the neighborhood; and their own specially conceived exhibition projects. The founder and director of Villa Renata, Franziska Stern-Preisig, works closely with other art spaces, curators, and artists. Villa Renata offers the possibility of shared community, based on the belief that experimental spaces are indispensable for the development of artistic gestures. Its openness to a wide range of formats, such as theater productions or collaborations with galleries, also includes work at these intersections and a readiness for continuous change.