classic meets art: Lorna Simpson

Join us for the second edition of the concert series ‘classic meets art,’ an ongoing collaboration between the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich and Hauser & Wirth Zurich. On 14 November, a string quartet will perform various parts of Bryce Dessner’s ‘Impermanence’ (2020) as well as his work ‘Aheym (Homeward)’ (2009) and Samuel Barber’s ‘Adagio’ (1938) in the ‘Lorna Simpson’ exhibition at our Limmatstrasse location.

String quartet, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich:
George-Cosmin Banica Violin
Lucija Krišelj Violin
Héctor Cámara Ruiz Viola
Mattia Zappa Violoncello

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The evening will start with an introduction to the exhibition and the musical work, followed by the concert (30 min).

Book your tickets here. The ticket price includes one complimentary drink.

Hauser & Wirth, Zurich
Limmatstrasse 270
8005 Zurich

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About the exhibition
This fall, the renowned US artist Lorna Simpson debuts new work from her ongoing Special Character series at our Zurich gallery, marking the artist’s first solo exhibition with the gallery in Switzerland. First unveiled in 2019, the Special Character series superimposes women’s faces from fashion and wig ads found in the pages of Ebony magazine, revealing through repetition the reinforcement of stereotypes in the everyday imagery we consume. In these works, silkscreened images of isolated figures emerge from layered washes of paint, highlighting Simpson’s continual investigation of the relationship between parts and wholes, and the nature of representation, identity, gender and race.

About the concert
Contemporary composer Bryce Dessner is best known as the founder of the American rock band The National and for his soundtracks for the films ‘The Revenant’ and ‘The Two Popes.’ Initially inspired by the tragedy of the Australian bushfires and the burning of Notre-Dame in Paris, Dessner has created a musical score full of emotional power with his work ‘Impermanence’ (2020). The result is a haunting musical piece: ephemeral and vulnerable. Out of the devastation comes energy, urgency, radiance and hope. ‘Aheym’ (Homeward) (2009) is another powerful piece that evokes the idea of flight and passage and explores themes of cultural identity and connection to the past.