Installation view, ‘GRUPPENAUSSTELLUNG,’ Hauser & Wirth Somerset, 3 June 2023 – 1 January 2024. Photo: Ken Adlard
Climate Impact Report: ‘GRUPPENAUSSTELLUNG’ in Somerset
We are pleased to share our fourth Climate Action Report (CIR) with artist-led sustainability platform, Artists Commit, for the exhibition ‘GRUPPENAUSSTELLUNG.’ Inspired by the notion of a traditional Kunsthalle, ‘GRUPPENAUSSTELLUNG’ was a celebration of Hauser & Wirth’s Swiss heritage through a playful presentation of over 20 artists, conceived as a place to showcase groundbreaking art and explore contemporary issues with a broad audience.
The entire site takeover provided a platform for discovery and interaction, extending to all five galleries, outdoor sculpture and a collaborative events program with the Roth Bar & Grill. The exhibition evolved in two parts over the course of seven months, featuring immersive installations, solo presentations and iconic video works. Alongside the exhibition, the Education Lab took its starting point from Mika Rottenberg and Pipilotti Rist’s commitment to environmentally sustainable creative practices.
‘GRUPPENAUSSTELLUNG’ took a major step forward with longer programming, which had a range of positive consequences, reducing shipping, packaging and material use as well as the time our team dedicate to installations. Given the size, scale, and scope of this exhibition, the team actively sought ways to incorporate sustainable practices into its presentation across a host of areas.
We discovered that typical neon lights consume 400 watts, compared to 150 watts for LED lights and 610 watts for fluorescent lights. Since our gallery operates on renewable energy, our team researched the energy efficiency of neon and decided to continue exhibiting the existing neon artworks based on this information.
In our Cinema, we opted not to use carpet, which can be challenging to repurpose and reuse. Instead, we utilized sheepskin rugs and beanbags borrowed from our Learning team, and avoided painting the walls black to minimize paint consumption.
During the planning phase of this exhibition, our team were intentional in considering the full life cycle of materials, resources, transport, and presentation methods. Sustainability is a foundational mindset for our team at the Somerset gallery, prompting us to continually question our practices and explore alternatives for our presentations. While these discussions are ongoing and do not always immediately translate into practice, they represent iterative steps toward evolving the gallery’s operations.
Our team is steadily integrating environmental consciousness into our ways of working. Small shifts in behaviour can have a multiplier effect on the wider gallery team. The report highlights the collective decisions made by our team that positively impacted the exhibition's overall environmental footprint. Key learnings from the report include:
Long programming: Running over the course of seven months, ‘GRUPPENAUSSTELLUNG’ enabled a range of positive consequences; reducing shipping, packaging and material use as well as the time our team dedicated to installations.
Paint: We expanded our understanding of paint, its environmental impact, particularly with acrylic paint, and are now exploring potential alternatives.
Neon: The exhibition featured several neon artworks, prompting us to examine the pros and cons of traditional neon versus LED faux neon. We discovered overall traditional neon has a lower environmental impact.
‘Refuse and Reuse’: We took the principles of designing for disassembly as far as possible and our Senior Art Handler, Sam Taylor, creatively worked to refuse materials, walls and exhibition furniture to keep it out of landfill.
Residencies: New York-based artist, Mika Rottenberg, joined us in Bruton, Somerset, for a local residency to experiment and evolve her Lampshare series. To develop the work, some elements were couriered to the gallery and she was able to complete a large portion of the work onsite.
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Launched in November 2021, the CIR concept was created by Artists Commit. Written in July 2024, this is the fourth CIR published by Hauser & Wirth.
‘GRUPPENAUSSTELLUNG,’ was on view at Hauser & Wirth Somerset from 3 June 2023 through 1 January 2024.
