Jos Näpflin's exhibition NACHTEN explores Robert Walser through installations and altered texts
The exhibition NACHTEN, curated by Jos Näpflin and inspired by Swiss author Robert Walser, was on display at Counter Space in Zürich from 29 October to 28 January. It delves into Walser's influence, whose semiautobiographical works gained acclaim after his death. Walser passed away on Christmas Day in 1956, having spent 23 years in the Herisau asylum, where he was revered by literary figures such as Kafka and Hesse. The show features a wall that limits visibility, encouraging reflection. It showcases a videowork, various installations, and a smaller gallery presenting Der lange Schlaf (The Long Sleep), a reinterpretation of Walser's 1914 tale Der Träumer. J. M. Coetzee expressed disapproval of a photograph included in the exhibition, while other pieces symbolize delicate monuments, contemplating the intertwining of history and fiction with a hopeful fatalism that pays tribute to Walser.
Key facts
- Exhibition NACHTEN by Jos Näpflin ran from 29 October to 28 January at Counter Space in Zürich
- Based on research into Swiss writer Robert Walser, who died on Christmas Day 1956 in Herisau, Switzerland
- Walser spent his last 23 years in an asylum and was admired by authors like Franz Kafka and Walter Benjamin
- The show includes a dividing wall at the entrance, a videowork, installations, and altered texts
- Der lange Schlaf alters Walser's 1914 story Der Träumer, with a photograph and audio piece
- J. M. Coetzee has criticized the use of the photograph of Walser found in the snow
- The Last Walk (Footsteps) features steel cutouts of Walser's last steps hung on the wall
- Nach dem Frost is an installation with pillars cloning the gallery's structure, one toppled into a wall
Entities
Artists
- Jos Näpflin
- Robert Walser
- Paul Cézanne
- Franz Kafka
- Walter Benjamin
- Elias Canetti
- Hermann Hesse
- J. M. Coetzee
Institutions
- Counter Space
- ArtReview
Locations
- Zürich
- Switzerland
- Herisau