Cathérine Hug

Cathérine Hug (born 1976 in Basel, Switzerland) is an art historian and curator.

Life and work

Cathérine Hug was born 1976 in Basel, Switzerland. With her parents and siblings she grew up in Saint-Ursanne and Delémont, Switzerland.

Cathérine Hug studied Computer Science, Media Science and Art History at the Chairs of Rolf Pfeiffer, Heinz Bonfadelli and Stanislaus von Moos at the University of Zurich. From 2000 until 2007 she was curatorial assistant at the Kunsthaus Zurich, where she worked closely with Bice Curiger and Tobia Bezzola. From 2005 until 2008 she was assistant of the Art Unlimited Curator Simon Lamunière at the Art Basel. As free-lance curator she organized among others Unloaded (Oberschan 2002-03) with Giovanni Carmine; In The Alps with Tobia Bezzola (Kunsthaus Zurich, 2006); and Carola Giedion-Welcker and Modernism (Kunsthaus Zurich, 2007). From 2008 until 2013 she was curator at the Kunsthalle Wien in Vienna, where she curated among others Thomas Ruff (2009), 1989. End of History or Beginning of the Future? (2009–10) with Gerald Matt, Street And Studio. From Basquiat to Séripop (2010) with Thomas Mießgang, Space. About A Dream (2011) with Walter Famler, Lucy Skaer – Force Justify (2012), WWTBD – What Would Thomas Bernhard Do and Salon der Angst with Nicolaus Schafhausen (both 2013). From 2011 until 2013 she was in the workers’ committee and supervisory board (Betriebsrat and Aufsichtsrat) of Kunsthalle Wien. Since 2013 she is curator at the Kunsthaus Zurich, where she curated among others Von Matisse zum Blauen Reiter (2014) with Timothy Benson (LACMA, Los Angeles); Europa. The Future of History (2015) with Robert Menasse; Tomi Ungerer. Incognito (2015) in collaboration with Folkwang Essen; Dadaglobe Reconstructed (2016) with Adrien Sudhalter in collaboration with MoMA New York; and Francis Picabia. A retrospective (2016) with Anne Umland in collaboration with MoMA New York. As guest curator she curated Feiert das Leben! with Robert Menasse and Manuela Laubenberger at the Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien in Vienna (2015–16). Hug is further project leader of the digitalization of the Kunsthaus Dada Collection (2013–16).

Details list of exhibitions and projects

(*) labels exhibitions with an accompanying publication or catalogue

2016

• Co-curator with Anne Umland of Francis Picabia. A Retrospective*, Kunsthaus Zurich June 3 – September 25, at MoMA New York from November 20, 2016 – March 19, 2017, accompanied by a large event programme ^[1]
• Co-curator with Adrian Sudhalter of Dadaglobe Reconstructed*, Kunsthaus Zurich February 5 – May 1, at MoMA New York from June 12 – September 18,^[2]
• Project leader of the digitalization of the Kunsthaus Dada Collection (2013–2016),^[3]

2015

• Curator of Tomi Ungerer. Incognito*, Kunsthaus Zurich from October 30 – February 7, Folkwang Museum Essen from March 18 – May 16, 2016,^[4]
• Co-curator with Manuela Laubenberger and Robert Menasse of Feiert das Leben! Zehn Lebensmasken werden zu Kunst*, an exhibition in collaboration with Caritas at Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien September 29 – April 3, 2016, accompanied by a large event programme,^[5]
• Curator of Sinnliche Ungewissheit. Eine Privatsammlung, Kunsthaus Zurich from June 19 – October 4,^[6]
• Co-curator with Robert Menasse of Europa. Die Zukunft der Geschichte*, Kunsthaus Zürich June 12 – September 6, accompanied by a large event programme,^[7]

2014

• Co-curator with Timothy Benson of the exhibition Von Matisse zum Blauen Reiter. Expressionismus in Deutschland und Frankreich*, an exhibition touring from Kunsthaus Zurich to Los Angeles County Museum and the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Montréal. Accompanied by a large event programme, ^[8]

2013

• Co-Curator with Nicolaus Schafhausen of Salon der Angst*, thematic group exhibition reflecting on the phenomena of fears through the past three decades, September 13, 2013 – January 2014,^[9]
• Editor in charge and author of the cat. accompanying the competition to the permanent installation Vienna Art Passage Karlsplatz, with the participation of the 9 artists Lee Bul, Ernst Caramelle (competition winner), Barbara Kruger, Sarah Morris, Jorge Pardo, Gerwald Rockenschaub, Markus Schinwald, Cerith Wyn Evans and Sam Taylor-Wood, organized by KÖR and funded by Wiener Linien, Kunsthalle Wien project Space, June 2013,^[10]
• Zine*Fair, 4th international Fanzine & Small Publishers’ Fair in Austria co-curated by Rita Vitorelli (Spike Art Quarterly), Kunsthalle Wien, 28–30 June,^[11]
• Co-Curator with Nicolaus Schafhausen and Lucas Gehrmann of WWTBD – What Would Thomas Bernhard Do, a rather rhetorical more than literal question, alluding to a tradition of critical thinking in Vienna. The event is meant to stand in the realm of this way of critical thinking and acting, but against an international, interdisciplinary and process-oriented background, Festival taking place from May 16 until May 26, 2013,^[12]

2012

• Zine*Fair, 3rd international Fanzine & Small Publishers’ Fair in Austria co-curated by Rita Vitorelli (Spike Art Quarterly), KUNSTHALLE wien, September 22–23, 2012.
• 20th Parabolic Flight Campaign, special project Kunst schwebt on invitation of DLR (initiator Peter Zarth) to make participate the three artists Julieta Aranda, Thomas Ruff as well as the writer Clemens Berger to the campaign, Novespace in Merignac-Bordeaux and ILA in Berlin, September 13–16, 2012.
• Lecture entitled Artzine Renaissance in the Age of Internet and Social Web at the annual international AICA conference, July 12, 2012 in Zurich
• Curator of Lucy Skaer – Force Justify (part 3), KUNSTHALLE wien, project space Karlsplatz, July 4 until August 26, 2012,^[13]
• Talks series Kleinodien – Anomalous Talks, people talking about their extraordinary but rather unknown or invisible activity, job or passion, organized together with visual artist Andreas Duscha and writer Clemens Berger, Salzburg and Vienna, launched on Nov. 14, 2011.
• Unheimliche Reise, Uncanny Journey, exhibition and screenings with Annette Amberg, Kader Attia, Ursula Biemann, Neil Beloufa, Luis Bunuel, Djibril Diop Mambety, Harun Farocki, Robert Jelinek, Katia Kameli, Bouchra Khalili, Philip Mayrhofer & Christian Kobald, Uriel Orlow, Jean Rouch, Clemens von Wedemeyer, initiated by and co-curated with Nadja Baldini & Beat Huber, Dienstgebaeude, Zurich, March 23 – April 22, 2012,^[14]
• Curator of Daniel Knorr, Explosion, KUNSTHALLE wien project space karlsplatz, sculpture place, March 29, 2012 – February 28, 2013,^[15]
• Curator of Ulrike Lienbacher, Kartenhaus, KUNSTHALLE wien project space karlsplatz, sculpture place, March 29, 2012 – February 28, 2013,^[16]

2011

• Co-curator with Rita Vitorelli of ZINE*FAIR, 2nd international Fanzine & Small Publishers’ Fair in Austria, KUNSTHALLE wien, September 17, 2011.
• Curator of Franz Huemer: Seher und Genie, Seer and Genious, KUNSTHALLE wien project wall, Sept. 17 – March 1, 2012,^[17]
• Co-curator with Karolina Dankow of the BA diploma class of Erik Steinbrecher, Zurich School of Arts (abbr. ZHdK), April–June 2011.
• Curator of Loris Gréaud*, KUNSTHALLE wien project space, April 15 - May 25, 2011,^[18]
• Curator of WELTRAUM, die Kunst und ein Traum. SPACE. Art and a Dream*, KUNSTHALLE wien, March 31 – August 15, 2011, with among others Paweł Althamer, Vladimir Dubossarsky & Alexander Vinogradov, William Kentridge, Jen Liu, Mariko Mori, Deimantas Narkevičius, Amalia Pica, Robert Rauschenberg, Pipilotti Rist, Thomas Ruff, Wilhelm Sasnal, Keith Tyson, Jane & Louise Wilson, Carey Young,^[19]

2010

• Co-curator with Rita Vitorelli of ZINE*FAIR, 1st international Fanzine & Small Publishers’ Fair in Austria, September 18.
• Co-curator with Thomas Mießgang of Street and Studio From Basquiat to Séripop*, with among others Rita Ackermann, Charlie Ahearn, Kader Attia, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Dara Birnbaum, Blek le Rat, Sophie Calle, Sol LeWitt, KUNSTHALLE wien, June 25 – Oct. 10, 2010,^[20]
• Co-curator with Gerald Matt of Marilyn Manson – David Lynch: Genealogies of Pain*, KUNSTHALLE wien, June 28 – July 11,^[21]
• Co-curator with Isabel Reiß and Dimitrina Sevova of the exh. ich tier! (du mensch) – du tier! (ich mensch) i animal! (you human) – you animal! (i human), with among others Christian Eisenberger, Klara Hobza, Lin May, Silke Nowak, and two guest lectures by Judith “Jack” Halberstam (UCLA), “Creative Anthropomorphism” and “Unbecoming,” a collab. between Perla-Mode, Dienstgebäude, Corner College, English Institute and History Institute of the University of Zurich (Bronfen), Zurich, April 9 – 25, 2010,^[22]

2009

• Co-curator with Gerald Matt of 1989. End of History or Beginning of the Future? Comments on a Paradigm Shift*, with among others Marina Abramovic, Chantal Akerman, Christoph Büchel and Giovanni Carmine, Erik Bulatov, Chen Danqing, Harun Farocki, Johan Grimonprez, Hans Haacke, Anna Jermolaewa, Ilya & Emilia Kabakov, Alexander Kosolapov, Barbara Kruger, Lars Laumann, Boris Mikhailov, Marcel Odenbach, Susan Philipsz, Neo Rauch, Nedko Solakov, Song Dong, Jane & Louise Wilson, KUNSTHALLE wien, October 9 – February 7, 2010,^[23]
• Curator of Thomas Ruff. Surfaces, Depth*, KUNSTHALLE wien, May 21 – September 13,^[24]

2008

• Assistant Art Unlimited*, Art 39 Basel. Curator Simon Lamunière.
• Co-curator together with Christoph Doswald of the exh. KONKRET MEGAMOPP. Sammlung Moderne Kunst – Neuerwerbungen*, with among others Katia Bassanini, Anton Bruhin, Stéphane Dafflon, Philippe Decrauzat, Martin Disler, Mark Divo, Germann/Lorenzi, Info Giezendanner, Hanspeter Hofmann, Zilla Leutenegger, Elodie Pong, and David Renggli, Foundation Stiftung Charles und Agnes Vögele, Pfäffikon/SZ, Sept. 21 – Nov. 2, 2008.

2007

• Ph.D. researches at the National Library of Canada, Ottawa (Nov. 06 – Jan. 07)
• AZPAA (A-Z public art projects) in collaboration with Annie Wu ^[25] and Manuela Schlumpf,^[26] a non-profit art agency looking for unconventional exhibition locations and helping to produce site-specific artworks.
• Assistant Art Unlimited*, Art 38 Basel. Curator Simon Lamunière.^[27]
• Guest-curator of the exhibition Carola Giedion-Welcker und die Moderne, Kunsthaus Zurich, August 31 – November 18, 2007,^[28]
• Assistant to Simon Lamunière, Art Director of Utopics*, 11e Exposition Suisse de Sculpture, 11. Schweizerische Plastikausstellung, Bienne (Summer/Fall 09).

2006

• Assistant Art Unlimited*, Art 37 Basel. Curator Simon Lamunière.
• Co-curator with Tobia Bezzola of In the Alps* (Fall/Winter 2006), Kunsthaus Zurich.
• Swiss delegate of the Fine Arts Showcase in Liverpool organized by the British Council on the occasion of the Liverpool Biennial, 2006, in October 2006.

2005

• Co-curator with Alexandra Blättler of Friends Electric!* with the participating artists Jen Liu (New York) and Andrea Thal (Zurich) at Binz39, Zurich.
• Assistant Art Unlimited *, Art 36 Basel. Project Manager Ursula Diehr, Curator Simon Lamunière.
• Research collaborator at the Kunsthaus Zurich in relation with the exhibition catalogue Sigmar Polke: Werke & Tage* curated by Bice Curiger.

2004

• Scientific research associate and catalogue author of Monet: the Garden*, Kunsthaus from October 29, 2004 – March 13, 2005.

2003

• University exams with the degree of lic. phil. (equivalent to M.A.) in Art History, Computer Science and Media Science, University of Zurich, Switzerland.
• Initiation, organization of and assistance to Cornel Windlin’s guest lecture Sexy Terror (The Stuff That Surrounds You), Institute of Art History, University of Zurich (Winter term 03/04).

2002

• Co-curator with Giovanni Carmine of the exhibition UNLOADED – Coming Up For Air*, Oberschan. With the participation of Monica Bonvicini (D), Annelise Coste (F), Christoph Büchel, Olivier Mosset and Gianni Motti among others.
• Reader/voice of Rirkrit Tiravanija’s 280min video work (ghost reader C.H.), video animation.
• Assistant to Bice Curiger’s group exhibition Public Affairs*, Kunsthaus Zurich.
• Initiation, organization and assistance to Jan Linders’ guest lecture In The Light of Experience. James Turrell’s Extensions of Horizon (Im Lichte der Erfahrung. James Turrells Horizonterweiter-ungen), Institute of Art History, University of Zurich (Winter term 2001/2002).

2001

• Program with Giovanni Carmine of the Nam June Paik-retrospective at VIDEOEX: Video und Experimentalfilmfestival*, organiser Patrik Huber.
• Curatorial assistance to Daniel Kurjakovic’s group exhibition A World Within A Space*, Kunsthalle Zurich 2001.
• Initiation, organization and assistance to Gianni Jetzer’s guest lecture Art & Everyday Life, Institute of Art History, University of Zurich (Summer term 2001).
• Initiation, organization and assistance to Yvonne Volkart’s guest lecture Artistic Practice in the Area of Information and Biotechnology (Künstlerische Praktiken im Zeitalter von Informations- und Biotechnologien), Institute of Art History, University of Zurich (Winter term 2000/01).

2000

• Editorial collaboration to the exhibition catalogue Mixing Memory and Desire, Museum of Art Lucerne.
• Assistant to the artists’ books publishing house Memory/Cage Editions, Zurich.
• Editorial assistance to the exhibition catalogue Hypermental*, curated by Bice Curiger and Christoph Heinrich at the Kunsthaus Zurich and Hamburger Kunsthalle.

1999

• Co-conductor with Charlotte Tschumi of the tutorial course The Actuality of Walter Benjamin & the Critical Theory, Institute of Art History, University of Zurich (Winter term 1999/2000).

Memberships and professional associations related to art and culture

• Member of the executive committee of the student association (Fachschaft) at the Institute of Art History, University of Zurich (1999-2003)
• Member of AICA (association internationale des critiques d’arts), since 2007
• Member of IKT (International Association of Curators of Contemporary Art), since 2009, ^[29]
• Member of the executive committee of NAFRA (Narikurava Friends Association), since 2010, ^[30]
• Member of the Internationale Thomas Bernhard Gesellschaft (ITBG), Salzburg, since 2012, ^[31]
• Vice-President of the board of the Alumni Art History UZH, since 2012, ^[32]
• Member of the European Alternatives, since 2015, ^[33]
• Member of the Internationale Stefan Zweig Gesellschaft, Salzburg, since 2016, ^[34]
• Member of Culture Action Europe, since 2017, ^[35]

Jury member, nominator

• Member of the executive committee of the Erna & Curt Burgauer Foundation, since 2008
• Summer Academy Paul Klee, Bern, Switzerland, since 2011 (nominator), ^[36]
• Price of the NCCA, Moscow 2011 (nominator), ^[37]
• IX Krasnoyarsk Museum Biennale, Biennale Prize, 2011 (jury)
• Werkbeiträge Digitale Kultur, migros Kulturprozent, 2013-2015 (jury), ^[38]
• Videoex, Swiss competition, Zurich 2014 (jury), ^[39]
• Prix du CCJE, Delémont 2014 (jury), ^[40]
• Prix de la Société des Arts de Genève, Geneva 2015 (jury), ^[41]
• Boston Consulting & Belvedere Contemporary Art Award, Vienna 2015 (nominator), ^[42]

Teaching, talks and lectures (selection*)

* The lectures and talks organized for Kunsthalle Wien and the Kunsthaus Zurich are not listed below but can be found via the indicated links for the respective exhibitions stated above.

• Respondent to Suzana Milevska’s lecture at the Open Theory Lectures dedicated to the multiple perspectives on visibility/invisibility of Roma Art in Switzerland and in Europe, September 3, 2016.
• Panel discussion: Art+Argument, Feminismus ist nur die letzte Marketingstrategie des Kunstbetriebs, on the occasion of 150th birthday of Visarte, Helmhaus Zürch, August 27, 2016.
• Panel discussion: Personal account on Manifesta 11, Pavilion of Reflections, August 23, 2016.
• Lecture: On curating thematic and monographic shows, exemplified with Dadaglobe, Europe, and Picabia, Saas-Fee Summer Institute of Art, Berlin, July 25, 2016.
• Panel discussion: On life and death with Robert Menasse, Irma Schwartz, Thomas Macho moderated by Rainer Nowak, in the context of Feiert das Leben!, Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien, October 15, 2016.
• Public Talk: Cathérine Hug in dialogue with Ulay, Art Salon, Art 43 Basel, June 21, 2015,^[43]
• Lecture: Introduction into the work of a museum curator, Executive Master in Arts Administration, University of Zurich, hosted by Johan Jakobs Museum, January 11, 2015.
• Lecture: On Barbara Kruger’s work, on Barbara Kruger’s invitation, Kunsthaus Bregenz, October 19, 2013.
• “Artzine Renaissance in the Age of Internet and Social Web” at the annual international AICA conference, University of Zurich (Switzerland), July 12, 2012.
• Conversation with the director Christian Kobald on his documentary The Shadow of the Prophet (2010), in the context of the exh. Unheimliche Reise, Uncanny Journey (ref. p. 3), Dienstgebäude, Zürich, April 14, 2012.
• “Curatorial practice,” lecture at CalArts (California Institute of the Arts), Valencia/CA (USA), an invitation of Johanna Breiding, March 22, 2012.
• Lecture on artists’ books and artzines along with Sissa Micheli, freie Klasse, Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, December 12, 2011.
• Artist’s talk with Annette Amberg and Sabine Rusterholz, Kunsthaus Glarus, Switzerland, December 4, 2011.
• Conversation: Architecture and Art: a visionary fusion in constant change, in Russian/French with Prof. Nikolaj Solowjow (The S.G.Stroganow Moscow State University of Industrial and Applied Arts) and Simon Mraz (Austrian Cultural Attaché), hosted by the Austrian Cultural Forum, Moscow, Oct. 28, 2011.
• Round table: On contemporary Russian performance art, in Russian/English with Alexandra Obukhova (art critic) and Leonid Bazhanov (Artistic Director of the NCCA), hosted by the National Centre for Contemporary Arts NCCA, Moscow, October 27, 2011.
• Introduction to the Istanbul Biennial “Untitled” curated by Jens Hoffman and Adriano Pedrosa, for Heinrich Lüber’s Art Education class of the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK), September 15, 2011.
• In Beauty We Trust. A roundtable with Cornel Windlin (Jury-president of the Award Most Beautiful Books of Switzerland) , Rick Poynor (Design Historian, London), Wendelin Hess (Graphic Designer and Co-Founder of the publishing house Echtzeit, Basel) and Cathérine Hug and moderated by Stefan Wagner. Co-organized by Corner College and the Swiss Federal Office of Culture, on the occasion of the Award Most Beautiful Books of Switzerland 2010, hosted by Helmhaus Zurich, June 26, 2011.
• Lecture The Moon Landing Live: 42 Years Later by Roland Machatschke (staff member ORF-radio station and Author). And discussion with the curator Cathérine Hug and Christian Köberl (Director of the Natural History Museum Vienna), Natural History Museum Vienna, June 22, 2011.
• Panel discussion: Loris Gréaud. CELLAR DOOR, a roundtable with Lionel Bovier, Giovanni Carmine, Loris Gréaud, Pablo del Val, Cathérine Hug and Lionel Bovier, Art Salon, Art 42 Basel, June 16, 2011,^[44]
• Introduction to Pipilotti Rist’s film Pepperminta at the Viennese launch, Votiv Kino, April 28, 2010.
• Opening speech of Ari Marcopoulos’ solo-show at FOAM (Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam), Amsterdam, February 26, 2010.
• Expert at PLAT(T)FORM 2010, along with Thomas Seelig and Urs Stahel (Fotomuseum Winterthur), Sebastian Frenzel (editor of Monopol, Berlin), Anna Gaskell (artist, New York), and Rainer Iglar (curator and publ. at Fotohof Salzburg, Austria); a 3day-portfolio-viewing with 42 “emerging artists” from allover Europe Fotomuseum Winterthur, Jan. 28 – 31, 2010.
• Akademie-Rundgang 2010 (Open Studios 2010 of The Academy of Fine Arts Vienna), Commenting curator of the class of Hans Scheirl und Jakob Lena Knebl, January 21, 2010.
• Lunch-Talk with Barbara Kruger, a collaboration with VIENNNA ART WEEK 2009 in the context of the exh. 1989. End of History or Beginning of the Future? Comments on a Paradigm Shift, November 18, 2009.
• Presentation of Compiler*03 at [ plug.in ] in Basel, Le Local in Bienne, Lothringer13 in Munich, General Public in Berlin, and Flaggfabrikken Presenterer in Bergen, Norway, May – December 2009.
• In Memory of Painting 1: Claude Monet, lecture by Cathérine Hug, LAYR WUESTENHAGEN CONTEMPORARY, Vienna, March 12, 2009.
• Dada Ante Portas – From the Movement to Actionism, moderation of the conversation between Jacqueline Burckhardt (dir. Summer Academy Paul Klee Zentrum Bern, Parkett Magazine, Zurich) and Mark Divo (artist, Kolin/CZ), in relation with the exh. KONKRET MEGAMOPP. Sammlung Moderne Kunst – Neuerwerbungen* (ref. above), Pfäffikon/SZ, November 2, 2008.
• The Globalization of the Province, moderation of the conversation between Martin Hess (music expert, Zurich) and Anton Bruhin (musician and artist, Schübelbach), in relation with the exh. KONKRET MEGAMOPP. Sammlung Moderne Kunst – Neuerwerbungen* (ref. above), Pfäffikon/SZ, September 28, 2008.
• How does masculinity express itself in contemporary performance?, discussion with Nicole Bachmann, Wolf Steiger, mod. by Sigrid Adorf, hosted by Palace in St. Gallen, org. by John Institute (J.-C. Freymond-Guth, M.Hiltbrunner, B.Meltzer), Febr. 5, 2008.
• Specific problems of art criticism in the contemporary media landscape, moderation of the panel discussion between Barbara Basting (Tages-Anzeiger), Samuel Herzog (NZZ and president the Swiss section of AICA) and Daniel Kurjakovic (free-lance curator, publisher), in relation with the exh. Carola Giedion-Welcker und die Moderne (ref. above), Kunsthaus Zurich, November 14, 2007.
• Co-programming, with Bice Curiger and Mirjam Varadinis, and organization of the Talks and Lectures series Art, Science & Friction. Speakers: Durs Grünbein, Hennric Jokeit, Pierre Bismuth, Rolf Pfeifer, Peter Weibel, Dagmar Reichert, Carsten Nicolai and Christoph Doswald, four sessions from April 2005 – Oct. 2006.
• Lecture: On Art Unlimited of the Art Basel for the graduate seminar conducted by Alice Ming Wai, Department of Art History, Concordia University, Montréal, January 30, 2007.
• Interdisciplinary seminar The Medium is the Aggression, foundation course in the Design Department of the School of Art and Design Zurich (ZHdK), Summer term 2005.
• Talks about the notion of the frame in Claude Monet’s work, BETA05 hosted by Miriam Steinhauser and Andrea Thal at les complices*, Zurich, and Stanislaus von Moos at the University of Zurich, May 26, 2004.

References