My first time ... in the Edition VFO

The Edition VFO is located in the Löwenbräu area. It is not labelled, so visitors need to know that it can be found here somewhere. However, this knowledge doesn't necessarily help once inside, as the Edition is located on an intermediate floor that can only be reached by using the right staircase - not the big one! - . It reminds me a little of Harry Potter and platform 9 ¾, where the Hogwarts Express departs from. Once you've finally found what you're looking for, only a glass door separates you from the wonderful world of printmaking.

But now: Edition VFO is simply a great place. It starts with the loft-like industrial premises of the Löwenbräu Areal, where the exhibition rooms and archive are housed. The current exhibition focusses on the monotype printing technique and is curated in an interesting and varied way. Thanks to the extremely dedicated and eloquent staff member, I learn a lot about the technique, the artists and the materials. I can't help but gush a little about this: My expectations had been limited to viewing the exhibition on my own and collecting information material. In fact, I was given a personal tour of the Edition VFO.

The special thing about Edition VFO is that you can buy the published works at affordable prices. They generally cost between CHF 300 and CHF 1200, and you can take as long as you like to browse through the large number of works for sale. This creates low-threshold access to art. The fact that I came home without buying any art is solely due to my lack of decision-making power.

In the end, I didn't leave empty-handed: At the exit, there was a jute bag ready for me to take home, containing the book "Print Art Now", published by Edition VFO to mark its 75th anniversary, and a catalogue of the "Monotypes" exhibitions. I am thrilled.

Edition VFO, Verein für Originalgraphik, was founded in 1948 as an institution for the preservation and promotion of printmaking. It is a non-commercial organisation that lives from membership fees. Its activities include publishing and exhibiting contemporary prints, publications, educational programmes and the sale of works. Every year, around 40 works are selected for publication from well over a hundred submissions. Younger artists are also taken into consideration. The constantly growing archive includes high-calibre works of art, with four exhibitions with around 30 new editions taking place in the exhibition rooms every year.
(Source Edition VFO)