Arts as Ecological Practice
Arts as Ecological Practice
Analyzing and conceptualizing exhibitions in ecological thought
28–30 August 2025 Zurich, Switzerland
Open Call for “Baustein 08”
at the Summer School 2025
Continuing Education,
Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK)
Application deadline: August 8, 2025 (Early-bird until June 6, 2025).
Modules: CHF 850 per module(CHF 800 with Netzhdk membership).
Early-bird registration until June 6, 2025: CHF 800 per module (CHF 750 with Netzhdk membership)
Organization: Dr Ronald Kolb. For inquiries: ronald.kolb@zhdk.ch
We will visit Zurich art institutions, please bring adequate clothing.
The course is in English.
It is no coincidence that many artists are turning to ecology, sustainability and climate justice in their practice, given the critical state of the global climate crisis. Art institutions are also responding to these issues. But what can be done beyond raising awareness? How can the field of art and its exhibition formats address this topic in a relevant way that goes beyond aesthetic representation? This course explores how ecological thinking in more-than-human relations can be integrated into artistic and exhibition practices, emphasising interdependence and self-critical reflection of one’s own position on a planetary scale. We will visit Zurich art institutions. Participants will gain theoretical insights, analyse exhibition case studies, and explore innovative, participatory approaches to ecological art practices. The programme includes a one-day visit to art institutions in Zurich to engage directly with curators and artists
For: Curators & artists, art mediators, transdisciplinary researchers, cultural producers, social workers, city administrates
Dr Ronald Kolb (PhD), Continuing Education ZHdK is Artistic Director of M.1 at the Arthur Boskamp-Stiftung in Hohenlockstedt for the 2025/26 cycle. He critically examines contemporary exhibitionary practices from a governmental perspective and explores their dynamics between representational power and participatory operations in both global and situated contexts. A characteristic feature of his practice is the orchestration of exhibiting and teaching as an exercise in participation in contexts of situated knowledges. This is also evident in the international symposia and workshops he has co-organized, such as Situated Knowledges, a digital event with Tai Kwun Contemporary, HK and the Migros Museum (2021), the Summer School “Commoning Curatorial and Artistic Education” at documenta fifteen (2022) and the workshop Commoning Collective Care in collaboration with TBA21 Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary (2023) and the experimental study trip “Post-/Exhibitionary Practices: Art and Curating in Expanded Ecological Thought” with local art practioners in Córdoba, Spain (2024).
Captions: Study Trip Córdoba 2024, organized by Ronald Kolb, ZHdK. Photo: Lourdes Cabrera