The exhibition Public Things focuses on the role of contemporary artworks as “public things” that point to the dialectical relationship between a specific object and its context, between the private space of a gallery and the public space of the city, between a material thing and its network of relations.

A public thing resists reduction, it is quick to reveal the tangled networks of individuals and institutions to which it is complicit, and it is inextricably bound to the specificities of site. A public thing is more than a mere object of sculpture, it is the specific production of space and time for the purpose of both contemplation and conversation—it is at once a thing, an event, a platform, a meeting place, an issue, and a matter of concern.

This exhibition will feature a solo project by Conrad Bakker as well as the work of five emerging artists from the United States, all of whom share a history with the School of Art and Design at the University of Illinois. These artists include: Jennifer Danos (Minneapolis), Katie Hargrave (Iowa City, IA), Philip Matesic (Zurich), Ryan Thompson (Houghton, NY), Meredith Warner (Philadelphia). For this exhibition each artist will produce a specific project—a Public Thing—that will dynamically engage the private space of Galerie Analix Forever and perhaps also the public space of the city of Geneva.