Exhibition Kunstpause 2026

Kunstpause 2026: Young Art, New Perspectives, and Plenty of Opportunities to Get Involved

From September 25 to October 3, Kunstpause will take place for the 21st time. Fourteen artists from Zug, across Switzerland, and neighboring countries will showcase works that are presented as a merging cosmos in the exhibition at the Chollerhalle. This year’s exhibition space entices visitors with its labyrinthine layout. Strolling, resting, lying down, sitting, swinging: Visitors are invited in many ways to linger—and to sharpen their eye for detail. At Kunstpause, a useless object is not useless. A plastic bag is not just a plastic bag. A child’s drawing is not just a memory. This year, our own observation and interpretation become a mirror of our thoughts, feelings, and actions.

The exhibition can be explored on your own or experienced in greater depth through guided tours—an invitation to critical reflection, spontaneous discovery, and a shift in perspective.

Don’t just look at art—experience it

This year, “Die Kunstpause” opens up new ways to engage with the exhibition. Various interactive stations invite visitors to get actively involved and engage with the exhibited works in different ways. A journal accompanies the tour and provides inspiration for individual exploration of the exhibition.

The guided tours are also designed to be dialogic and interactive. In addition, four new dialogue-based tours will take place. People from different generations and with varying political views share their personal perspectives, highlighting how differently art can be perceived and interpreted. Participants include Adrian Weibel (born 1957), Olivia Heller (born 2017), the young ALG politician Lea Schlumpf, and Gregor Bruhin, a member of the cantonal council for the SVP.

Art Break for School Classes and Groups

This year, there is a special focus on art education for school classes and groups. From September 28 through October 2, special interactive guided tours will take place during the day. The professional education team provides insight into the work of the exhibiting artists and invites participants to discover the works together, discuss them, and share their own thoughts.

The program is already generating a great deal of interest: Around 200 students have signed up for this year’s tours. A few spots are still available. In addition to school classes, the program is also aimed at vocational schools, colleges, groups, and clubs.

Information and registration are available on the Kunstpause website.

Hands-On Program

Once again this year, Kunstpause invites visitors to get involved. At “Let’s Draw!” on the first Saturday evening, visitors will pick up their own pencils. The format is based on the well-known drawing game “Cadavre Exquis”: Together, participants create a drawing, with each person seeing only one part of the image at a time and continuing it. The sheet is then folded and passed on. Only at the end does the surprising final image become visible.

Under the guidance of illustrator Yolanda Keiser, participants will collaboratively create an image—in a playful, surprising way and without any pressure to perform. The format invites participants to revisit childhood memories and get creative themselves.

On the following Friday evening, the creative fun continues with caricaturist Andri Gotsch.

Art Cinema: Art, History, and Memory

Another highlight is the Art Cinema. Selected films offer additional perspectives on art, history, and memory, thereby addressing themes that also play a role in the exhibition.

On September 27, “Woman in Gold” will be shown. The film explores themes of memory, looted art, and the past, thereby establishing a direct connection to central questions addressed by the exhibition.

On October 1, a short film program will follow in cooperation with the Zug Film Festival. The program will feature works by young filmmakers, showcasing yet another form of contemporary artistic expression.

Accessibility

Accessibility has been a key consideration for the Kunstpause from the very beginning. The Chollerhalle is fully accessible. A mobile audio system (FM system) is now available for all Kunstpause guided tours. This is intended to provide people with hearing impairments with better access to the exhibition’s educational content. The hearing assistance system is provided in cooperation with Pro Audito Zug.

In addition, as part of the Kunstpause, the “Alle inklusive” workshop organized by IG Kultur Luzern, the Kleintheater Luzern, and the Netzwerk Neubad will take place. The workshop takes a practical approach to addressing inclusion in the cultural sector. Together, participants will identify barriers, share experiences, and develop concrete ideas for inclusive cultural work.

The workshop will take place on Thursday, October 1, from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. Participation is free, but registration is required. Information and registration are available on the Kunstpause website.

New: With the KulturLegi

Kunstpause now also offers discounted admission with the KulturLegi. This is intended to make the exhibition more accessible to as wide an audience as possible.

Kunstpause views cultural participation as an important part of its mission: Young contemporary art should not be accessible only to a specialized audience, but should reach as many people as possible and invite them to engage with it on their own terms.

Collecting Art – Supporting Young Artists

Kunstpause not only invites visitors to view the art but also offers the opportunity to take a piece of art home. Original works from the exhibition are available for purchase. The Kunstkiosk also features smaller artworks and unique pieces of jewelry from the worlds of art and design.

Through the Kollektors Klub, Kunstpause also offers a way to directly support young, independent artists. For an annual membership fee of CHF 280, members receive a limited-edition artwork as well as the right of first refusal on works from Kunstpause 2027. Membership is limited to 20 spots per year.

Closing Concert

After the closing event on Saturday, October 3, Kunstpause continues with a musical celebration. The exhibition closes at 7 p.m. that evening. Following the closing, the concert “Sonst war es schön” will take place.

This interdisciplinary stage project combines personal diary entries with original music. The three siblings Melia, Bastian, and Jonas Inglin, together with Edward Rushton, create a finale filled with language, music, and memories. Personal and often humorous texts meet new music, telling stories of childhood, adolescence, and everyday observations—sometimes serious, sometimes lighthearted, always personal.

Kunstpause

Since 2004, Kunstpause has been dedicated to promoting young, contemporary art. Each year, the curatorial team researches new artistic trends and deliberately broadens its focus beyond traditional visual arts. This results in exhibitions that also incorporate elements of graphic art, design, performance, and digital art.

The annual exhibition has changed venues several times. But one thing about Kunstpause has always remained the same: it is a home for young artists—a place where works can be presented to a broad audience and new connections can be made.

The team is also constantly evolving. New people and perspectives bring fresh ideas and enable Kunstpause to continually develop. This not only supports the work behind the scenes but also offers young people a platform to enter the creative world.

Opening hours:

Friday, Sept. 25: 7–10 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 26: 1–10 p.m.

Sunday, Sept. 27: 1–7 p.m.

Thursday, October 1: 6–10 p.m.

Friday, October 2: 6–10 p.m.

Saturday, October 3: 1–10 p.m.

The complete program and tickets: www.kunstpause.ch

Note: This text was translated by machine translation software and not by a human translator. It may contain translation errors.