Exhibition: March 5, 2021 to July 17, 2021

Trash-Art: Artistic confrontations with man, waste and society

The exhibition "Trash-Art" artistically traces the phenomenon of "waste". In a diverse show of works by students of the China Academy of Art and East Swiss Art Brut artists from the collection of the Museum im Lagerhaus, St. Gallen, the globally explosive topic is reflected from different perspectives in the form of sculpture, installation, video and painting. Using packaging waste, electronic scrap, old clothes, construction waste, read newspapers and all kinds of discarded and disposed items, the definitions of old and new, worthless and valuable are questioned.

In the creative transformation, the apparent "waste" often unfolds completely new, surprising effects. The works of the art students were given an additional color by Covid-19's unexpected outburst during the project: in the loneliness and isolation of the lockdown, thoughtful, socio-critical and sometimes very personal and emotional works were created. In the juxtaposition with the objects of the outsider artists from eastern Switzerland Max Goldinger, Pya Hug, Hans Krüsi, Ernst Kummer, Paul Schlotterbeck and Karl Uelliger, who used waste material and scrap of all kinds in their work decades ago, commonalities as well as differences in values and social imprint of the generations and of eastern and western culture are reflected.

Participating artists
China Academy of Art (CAA), Hangzhou: Master students of the Department of Public Art, Bachelor students of the Department of Mural Painting/Fresco. Leadership: Prof. Zheng Jing, He Liang.

Museum im Lagerhaus, Foundation for Swiss Naive Art and Art Brut, St. Gallen:
Max Goldinger (1908–1988), Pya Hug (1922–2017), Hans Krüsi (1920–1995), Ernst Kummer (1918–2003), Paul Schlotterbeck (1920–1998), Karl Uelliger (1914–1993).

5th March – 17th July 2021, opened Wed–Fri 1pm–5pm and Sat 11am–5pm. Exhibition extension: 29th October 2021 – 26th February 2022.