Examples for grants 2021

Patrick Graf (b. 1981) studied fine arts at the Zurich University of the Arts. Since then, his work has become a regular sight at solo and group exhibitions in Switzerland and abroad. His method is based on the blending of work and everyday life, fiction and reality. Graf is a storyteller: since 1999, he has been working on an over 4,000-page art book on the «Ypsilonic Age» and the mad Dr. Y. For his exhibitions, Graf creates fantastic parallel universes in which his character Dr. Y. resides. Using painting, woodcuts, etching, drawing, text, cardboard sculptures and performances, the artist creates expansive, interactive installations that fully immerse their visitors.

Visual Arts: Patrick Graf received a recognition grant of CHF 15,000.

Affectionately nicknamed «the stoneheap» by the locals, the four-storey stone house was built in the mid-15th century and has been listed as a Cultural Property of National Importance. The building is largely preserved in its original condition, including mediaeval architectural details and unique wall paintings. At that time, Tuggen was located next to Lake Tuggen and was an important centre of commerce on the trade and transport route from Zurich to the south. This imposing building thus attained great importance for the canton of Schwyz. Inhabited up until just a few years ago, the Steinhaus is undergoing a careful and comprehensive restoration to make it accessible to the public as part of the March museum.

Heritage Conservation & Archaeology: The UBS Culture Foundation supported the restoration of these murals with a project grant of CHF 15,000.

Tala, Yasin, Janelle, Alissa and Emile are 1st grade students at the De-Châteaubriand school in the Paquis district of Geneva. Director Séverine Barde’s work follows the children during their first four years at primary school. This documentary film observes them in their daily life: growing up and facing challenges and setbacks within the microcosm of the classroom. The film alternates between the personal development of the five pupils and the collective development of the school class, shaped by its diverse sociocultural background, with 11 languages spoken and 18 nationalities.

Film: The UBS Culture Foundation supported JMH & Filo Films with a production grant of CHF 20,000.

Linn Molineaux (b. 1993) lives and works as a visual artist and author in Geneva. She has published several poems, and her début novel, «Regarde le bruit des montagnes» came out in 2018. Her second novel’s working title is «Catadioptre». This poetic novel is the internal monologue of a young woman who, while searching for herself and her place in the world, moves into a new flat, realises that her book needed precisely this larger space for its creation. She meets an older woman who tells her life story. Two people thus come together – one at the end of her life, the other at the beginning – and both tell a story of freedom and emancipation.

Literature: The UBS Culture Foundation supported the author's work on the novel with a contribution of CHF 15,000.

The Basel-based ensemble KlangLab is made up of electronics, cello, electric guitar, trombone, flute, saxophone and drums. With no existing repertoire for this instrumentation, the group is dedicated to the creation of new scenic music pieces through collaborations with musicians and artists from different fields. As part of the «In Metal» series, a performative concert piece developed together with sound researcher and composer Andrea Neumann (b. 1968) premiered in 2022. Andrea Neumann performs at concerts and festivals around the world and receive numerous commissions for compositions. She is a professor of free improvisation at the Hochschule für Musik in Basel.

Music: The UBS Culture Foundation supported KlangLab for the premiere of the work with a project grant of CHF 6,000.

The Schloss Oberhofen foundation holds the historical guestbooks of the comital Pourtalès and Harrach families – the owners of the castle from 1844 to 1925 – who recorded their stays at their summer residence like entries in a journal. The around 2,700 handwritten pages in French, German, English and Italian provide a look at the daily life of a Prussian noble family in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Transcriptions of these guestbooks will serve as sources for research in social history and form the basis for the museum’s new permanent collection and special exhibitions.

Humanities & Cultural Sciences: The transcription of these historical sources was supported with a project grant of CHF 15,000.

«Here We Are» is a collaborative and participatory research programme – developed by artists for artists who have recently immigrated to Switzerland. It aims to develop tailored activities and services that provide low-threshold support for self-employed individuals to get a foothold in the Swiss cultural scene and advance their artistic careers. This initiative dedicated to the inclusion and support of artists with a migrant background is taking place in collaboration with the Zurich University of the Arts and other Swiss art universities.

Priority project: The UBS Culture Foundation backed the three-year pilot project with a contribution of CHF 50,000.