For the second consecutive year, Andy meets Warhol attended the Verbier Art Summit with luxury skincare brand La Prairie, partner of the summit. La Prairie is a supporter of this event, which connects thought leaders in the art world. The brand is known for its active involvement in art, being a partner of important art events such as the Art Basel art fair, a partnership which has lead to several artistic collaborations through commissioned works. In addition, La Prairie has supported institutional shows in Switzerland such as Julian Charrière’s „Towards No Earthly Pole” at MASI Lugano, most recently.
THE SUMMIT
Held 31 January – 1 February in Verbier, Switzerland, the 2020 summit was organised in partnership with Jessica Morgan, Nathalie de Gunzburg Director of New York’s Dia Art Foundation. The 2020 summit was held around the theme:
RESOURCE HUNGRY: OUR CULTURED LANDSCAPE AND ITS ECOLOGICAL IMPACT
Its aim was to ask how to envision a way forward in finding harmony between art, ecology and resources.
THE HIGHLIGHTS
1. Meeting with American artist Joan Jonas and learning more about her artistic practice
The private opening of the summit featured a performance screening of Jonas’ work “Moving Off the Land”, which was recently presented at Ocean Space, Chiesa di San Lorenzo, Venice at the Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary. As someone who is a passionate swimmer and lover of the ocean and nature, this work immediately captured my attention.
On Friday, the first day of the summit, Jessica Morgan and Joan Jonas, one of the most important female artists to emerge in the late 1960s and early 1970s, further discussed “Moving Off the Land”. Jonas, which is a pioneer of video and performance art, mentioned that the installation at TBA Ocean Space entailed three years of intensive research in aquariums around the world as well as in the waters off the coast of Jamaica.
Main takeaways & quotes:
Joan Jonas likes to include children in her work, including “Moving Off the Land”:
“I like to involve children in my work, in this dialogue of our future and environment to show how miraculous these creatures are that are being lost.”
The artist likes to work with many layers in her art:
Jonas’ work is a cumulative process with many influences. In her installation “Moving off the Land”, the acclaimed multimedia artist draws, dances, makes noises and uses video, text and sculptures.
2. Emily, where are you going? Snow expedition at the Verbier 3-D Foundation sculpture park
The sculpture park of the Verbier 3-D Foundation can be easily reached by the ski lift of Verbier. During the expedition, Karsten Födinger, Artist in Residence 2019, talked about his work “Pilier Erratique”(Video here). In addition, our group had the chance to climb up the mountain to explore a shelter. Named “Antoine”, this micro shelter was designed by André Bloc and Claude Parent of Bureau A, through a 6 week residency with Verbier 3d Foundation. Entering “Antoine” and looking through the tiny window onto a vast mountain panorama is a unique experience. On the one hand you feel the warmth and protection of the shelter, on the other hand, looking through the window, you realise the power, dynamism and majestic appearance of the mountains. Maybe even raising questions in the relationship between humans and nature and the Human Nature vs. Mother Nature, and the role of human beings.
3. Inspiring and diverse speakers
Apart from Joan Jonas and her discussion with Jessica Morgan, the summit featured a wide range of interesting speakers like Brazilian philosopher and advocate of black feminism in Brazil, Djamila Ribeiro, who talked about a growing movement in indigenous culture in social-justice, women’s rights and anti-racism. Additionally, artist Andrea Bowers presented her artistic practice and referred to her work My Name Means Future, which is currently on view at New York’s Andrew Kreps Gallery. The film features Tokata Iron Eyes, a 16-year-old member of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, and her actions to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline. Moreover, the artist, who often explores the intersection between activism and art, underlined the importance of humans to understand that we are part of the earth and not a separate entity. And under that understanding, we must act accordingly.
4. Verbier cinema
The first evening of the summit concluded in the screening of three short films from the Biennale de l’Image en Mouvement at the Verbier cinema: Karimah Ashadu, Red Gold; Eduardo Williams with Mariano Blatt, Parsi; Korakrit Arunanondchai, No History in a Room filled with People with Funny Names. A highlight was definitely the talk at the end of the screening with Eduardo Williams and Biennale curator, Andrea Lissoni. Eduardo Williams mentioned how he produced Parsi; the images are constantly moving with footage from the streets and the people of Guinea Bissau. These images are being combined with the open-ended on-going poem No es, read by Mariano Blatt. The poem he reads out, is more connected to Argentinian culture, producing an interesting creative distance with the images of Guinea Bissau.
5. Unique fusion of Swiss science, art and rare ingredients
Recommended to wellness lovers, the AWAY® Spa at the W Hotel Verbier is the place to be when it comes to relaxing.
The luxurious ambiance of the AWAY® Spa welcomes hotel guests and spa members year-round in the relaxing 800m2 oasis with 9 treatment rooms, swim in/out WET pool, jacuzzi, sauna, hammam, state-of-art FIT gym and a private yoga room. A highlight for those taking a break from the summit or skiing.
Indulge in the world of La Prairie
Apart from its presence in well-known, selected department stores and perfumeries, La Prairie products and treatments are also offered in some of the worldˈs leading spas and wellness resorts worldwide. As such, the W-Hotel Verbier and the AWAY® Spa offer treatments by highly qualified La Prairie Beauty Experts which advise each guest individually with exclusive collections and unique experiences, each of which are perfected with care to adapt to every skin’s specific need. This promise of timeless beauty is reflected within the unique “The Art of Beauty” treatments by La Prairie in which you can experience the patented Exclusive Cellular Complex, signature ingredient of the brand. A personal highlight for me was a treatment which mainly focused on the Platinum Rare Collection, one of La Prairieˈs most advanced skincare ranges. As a great fan of the Platinum Rare Cellular Life-Lotion, I was curious to test the rest of the products from the Platinum Rare collection. The result was that my skin definitely lightened up and looked refreshed after the treatment which comprised 6 different steps. In addition, the small bags under my eyes had almost vanished, showing that the products really work.
The treatment comprised of the following products, which also feature a nice texture and pleasant scent:
- Cellular 3-Minute Peel
- Cellular Hydralift Firming Mask
- Platinum Rare Cellular Life–Lotion
- Platinum Rare Cellular Night Elixir
- Cellular Serum Platinum Rare
- Cellular Eye Cream Platinum Rare
Photo impressions from the summit
With New York art collector Marjorie Mayrock at the closing dinner
Thanks for reading!
Andy meets Warhol | Art Blog from Zurich 