For a city of 450,000, Zurich carries a cultural weight that catches most people off guard. Museums, kunsthalles, foundations, galleries large and small, and a whole constellation of multidisciplinary spaces: the density is real, and it adds up fast. Getting around helps. Public transportation makes Lucerne, Bern, Winterthur, Basel, and beyond feel like extensions of the city itself, perfect for spontaneous detours. Keeping up with it all is a full-time job. Here are a few picks to get you off the main circuit.
Hosted by Marco Antonini.
Material
Uraniastrasse 9, 8001 Zurich
If you like grassroots, artist-run spaces, Material is a must. A book and fanzine archive that doubles as a gallery space for one- or two-week exhibitions, either by invited artists or selected from spontaneous submissions, it embodies a refreshingly open ethos. If your work fits no label, you are completely unknown, and/or you are bad at networking, send them an email, roll up your sleeves, and you might just land your first solo show in Zurich here.
Blue Velvet
Birmensdorferstrasse 83, 8003 Zürich
Flatmarkus
Zentralstrasse 76b, 8003 Zürich
Beletage
Utoquai 41 c/o Dr. Rai Winata, 8008 Zürich
An exhibition space inside a functioning, busy chiropractic studio? Check. BELETAGE’s curated program effortlessly coexists with this minimally furnished alternative medicine practice, complete with splendid lake views in fashionable Seefeld. The artist selections are always surprising, eclectic, and refreshingly independent of the art-school-cool-kids-to-gallery pipeline, an increasingly rare thing these days, curatorially speaking.
Damien and the Love Guru
Aemtlerstrasse 74, 8003 Zürich
Sentiment
Hallwylstrasse 54, 8004 Zürich
One of the most promising galleries in town, Sentiment has all it takes to make a growing impact on the local scene and beyond. Their group exhibitions have brought together an impressive and ever-expanding roster of artists, forming a veritable who’s who of rising positions around Zurich and internationally. Notable highlights include solo presentations by Jean-Vincent Simonet, Virginia Ariu, and Valentina Vaccarella.
Sun.Works
Quellenstrasse 27, 8005 Zürich
A nomadic gallery and platform for culinary gatherings and out-of-the-box ideas (such as an art-themed game show with collaborative games and prizes!), Suns.Works has been bringing fresh energy to Zurich with exhibitions featuring up-and-coming artists such as Diogo Pinto, Len Schweder, and Rita Siegfried. Coming soon is the highly anticipated second edition of Gallery House, a mini art fair introducing international emerging galleries to local collectors.
Kulturfolger
Idastrasse 46, 8003 Zürich
A nonprofit exhibition space in the heart of the vibrant Wiedikon/Idaplatz area, Kulturfolger runs thematic and imaginatively curated exhibition programs, showcasing emerging and lesser-known positions from Switzerland and its surrounding regions. Few spaces in the city combine its level of professionalism and consistency with such a genuine penchant for welcoming, cheerful hospitality and inclusiveness.
Livie
Claridenstrasse 34, 8002 Zürich
Lullin + Ferrari
Limmatstrasse 214, 8005 Zürich
