[Photo from last evening]
The Swiss Institute's inaugural exhibition officially opens to the public tomorrow on Second Avenue at St. Mark's Place (the address is 38 St. Mark's Place).
Here's more about it via the Institute's website:
On view will be "Readymades Belong to Everyone" ... the third edition of SI’s Architecture and Design Series. Curated by Fredi Fischli and Niels Olsen, the exhibition features more than 50 artists, architects and collectives from 16 countries with 17 new commissions.
The opening hours are noon to 8 p.m.
The building — 7,500 square feet in total — was a former Chase branch. The four levels include space for exhibitions, a research library, a bookstore run by Printed Matter and a rooftop terrace with art.
Here's more background via a recent preview in The Wall Street Journal...
The nonprofit institution was created in 1986 by a group of Swiss expats looking to highlight their country’s artists and culture. That mission has since broadened to promote a diverse community of international artists, all the while charming the wider art world with its zeitgeist-tapping exhibitions.
Despite this success, Swiss Institute director Simon Castets yearned to find a permanent home base. After reviewing roughly 100 buildings and raising nearly $4 million, the French-born Castets and his board, chaired by philanthropist Maja Hoffmann, landed on a former Chase bank ...
“We used to be near Céline and Moschino,” says Castets, 34, of the Institute’s former Wooster Street space. “[We’re now] on one of the city’s most heavily trafficked corners. It changes the profile entirely.”
Previously on EV Grieve:
Chase branch on 2nd Avenue at St. Mark's Place has the potential to get 4x larger with new owner
The East Village is down 2 Chase branches
Icon wraps former Chase branch at St. Mark's Place with retail ribbon
'Good riddance' Chase, and — a development to watch in 2016
It will now be more challenging to tag the front of the former Chase branch on 2nd Avenue
Swiss Institute moving into the former Chase branch on 2nd Avenue and St. Mark's Place
A few more details on the Swiss Institute's move to the East Village
Came upon this by accident and slipped in 10 minutes before closing. How lucky are we? Art exhibits, library and roof garden - all free! A wonderful addition to the neighborhood!
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