My first time ... in the Helmhaus

The exhibition entitled "weg" (away) inspired me to visit the Helmhaus for the very first time. I was particularly intrigued by the playful use of the word "weg", which can mean "a path to a destination" or "going away", depending on the context. Reason enough to visit the exhibition and therefore also the Helmhaus!

The Helmhaus is located opposite the Grossmünster and although I've probably passed it many times, I first had to look up exactly where it is. But you can hardly miss it, because even the tram stop is called Helmhaus and if you don't miss it, you're right in front of the historic building.

A little unsure where exactly the entrance is, I open a door that is labelled with the fact that there is no public toilet here. I go up the stairs and find myself at reception, where I'm greeted in a not unfriendly manner but with very few words. After visiting the first few rooms, I realise that I find it difficult to see the connection between the various works. There are QR codes to scan that are labelled "audio description". But as I have handed over my bag and mobile phone so that I can concentrate fully on the exhibition, this additional information is withheld from me for the time being. It is only on the second floor that I discover the brochures that are laid out and contain descriptions of the works of the individual artists. I now enjoy the second part of the exhibition with the brochure in my hand and quickly make a second round through the rooms on the first floor.

The exhibition includes works by 13 artists from the Zurich region on the theme of "away" - i.e. "breaking new ground" but also "going away", whether voluntarily as an artist (away from the norm) or involuntarily for political reasons. I really like the idea behind this exploration and the playful use of the word "away". But at the same time, it is a very broad topic that can include everything and nothing, and this is also noticeable in the exhibition. Without the brochure, it is difficult to recognise a common thread, and even with the brochure, I have to think a lot to recognise it. But maybe that's not so important, because what the curators describe beautifully in the introduction is that visitors can and should make their own way through the exhibition. And that makes sense with 13 different artists: Not everyone will like everything, but everyone can find something that appeals to them and makes them think.

However, although I usually like going to exhibitions alone, I would have been happy to have a companion here so that we could have philosophised together about the meaning and statements of the works. I had to smile at the work "Gläuf zum Bundeshus" by Christian Ratti: this art project was created as part of "Natur braucht Stadt - Mehr Biodiversität in Bern" (Nature needs the city - more biodiversity in Bern), in which insects make their way to the Federal Palace with banners to fight for their rights and draw attention to insect mortality.

The Helmhaus is easily accessible, it is very centrally located and the exhibition is free of charge. As a result, some tourists ventured up there who were perhaps more interested in the view than the exhibition. The number of exhibition rooms is manageable, so you get to see a lot but are not overwhelmed by objects and impressions. And what I find very exciting is that the Helmhaus focuses primarily on local, contemporary Zurich art. I hadn't realised that before. The only fly in the ointment was that the guided tour for visitors was a little too brief for my taste. I would have appreciated a little more information at the reception. For example, only the detailed readers of the brochures will know what the cloakroom tokens that you receive when you hand in your bag are actually for. But you'll have to find out for yourself and don't forget to grab a brochure at reception!

Photo "Gläuf zum Bundeshus": Julien Schwab