Thomas and Doris Ammann Foundation supports exhibitions as spaces for generating knowledge

As part of ETH Zurich’s Institute for the History and Theory of Architecture (gta), gta exhibitions operates at the intersection of architecture, art and academia. Exhibition making itself is both a subject of research and a means of producing knowledge through art historical research and practice. The funding from the Thomas and Doris Ammann Foundation will enable this approach to be developed further over the long term.

Exhibitions as a medium for knowledge production

The long-term funding will, among other things, make it possible to explore exhibitions not merely as spaces for communicating existing knowledge, but as a medium for producing new knowledge. Research based on primary sources, curatorial practice, public engagement and publishing are closely interconnected. The exchange between different people, perspectives and forms of knowledge gives rise to new questions and approaches to research.

Students and early-career researchers will play a particularly important role. They will be actively involved in developing and implementing projects, gaining experience across the entire process – from initial research and curatorial concept development to production, public engagement and documentation.

Furthermore, art historical exhibition projects can be developed in collaboration with other universities, museums, research institutions and exhibition venues from the outset, and can also be realised beyond ETH Zurich. This will allow research questions to be explored across institutional and geographical boundaries.