There are 2 bedrooms, both with Queen beds. One is located inside the art installation, and the second is inside a converted 1977 Peugeot J7 van sprayed Chrome and Silver, which some would consider a classic work in itself!
THE PROPOSAL rates include: bagel breakfast, welcome and goodbye drinks, Wi-Fi internet, and guest bikes for use.
There is free use of iPad and mini projector for guests to watch cable TV upon request.
For Jeremie Maret, Lenny Staples and Christian Weber initiators of THE PROPOSAL - the experience is essential. The gallery is more than an exhibition space: Art should become livable and the gallery invites visitors to spend some time in it. In addition to the artwork, culinary delights and events are part of the current exhibition. THE PROPOSAL offers the unique experience of spending a night in it’s own Bed & Breakfast. Guests can experience being part of an art gallery during an exhibition and even while exhibitions are being installed. They become “residents in art”. Visitors are not just ordinary guests of the gallery. THE PROPOSAL is organized as an association so visitors can become members of this remarkable art club.
PROPOSAL No.2 - Untitled –“what are we busy about?”
“it is not enough to be busy; so are the ants.
the question is what are we busy about?”
by Henri David Thoreau 1817–1862
The question “what are we busy about?” asked by Henry David Thoreau is the centerpiece. The concept is visualized by standard Euro-pallets which represent order and efficiency in the production process. Inside the courtyard 337 Euro-pallets are piled up to create an accessible art piece. Stacked, mounted and standardized, the second exhibition by the artists’ gallery, questions our production capabilities and looks for answers.
Visitors to the exhibition come face to face with the pragmatic world of a pallet storage facility.
However, the finished product is unknown. Even the three artists Jeremie Maret, Lenny Staples and Christian Weber are in the dark.
Never-ending quest for meaning
A meaningful activity seems to be a growing need in our individualized society. However, many jobs do not offer a satisfying occupation. Unconnected from the production process, we take on tasks without perspective of the big picture and therefore lose the essentials of our activity. “We don’t know what we are doing,” says the trio of artists.
Art to savor
True to the concept, this exhibition will be accompanied by a matching culinary theme offering the visitors a memorable experience. As a contrast to the overfilled courtyard, the bedrooms provide quietness and tranquility, and let the guest reflect upon the reason for our “busyness”.
PROPOSAL No.3 - “The Human Print”
February is all about Freckles at the artists’ gallery THE PROPOSAL. The third exhibition in the courtyard of Dubsstrasse demonstrates the relativity of beauty through printed textiles. Visitors can experience this special theme first hand. Freckles: some find them disturbing or ugly and would like to get rid of them at any cost.
Others however, see in them a special attribute and unconventional beauty. From February 16th to February 26th, 2012 THE PROPOSAL presents an exhibition dedicated entirely to these odd, pigmented spots.
New Skin
The third exhibition in the gallery space of THE PROPOSAL presents the work “The Human Print” by fashion designer Stefanie Biggel (27) and graphic designer Natalja Romine (23). The ambivalence between beauty and a flaw is the subject shown by the example of freckles. Using a digital Ink-Jet technique, a freckled motif is printed onto a silken fabric. Seven feminine and delicate dresses have been handmade and will be on display. The idea of pulling a „new skin“ over old skin is grotesque. However, it is relative to the unpretentious beauty of the clothes in the exhibit.
Prototype instead of Originals
The clothes on display are prototypes for potential, commercial, fashion production. This idea perfectly matches the concept of the gallery which is to present prototype versions of possible artwork. THE PROPOSAL, and the duo of Biggel and Romine, envision a database for the original. Freckles can be chosen from a model and permit them to be printed onto a customized dress. This concept will only be presented during the exhibition shown at THE PROPOSAL in Zurich Wiedikon. The photographic realization and production was made by photographers Nadine Ottawa from Zurich and Rupert Tapper from London.
PROPOSAL No.4 - Spring Awakening - “Malus Evereste”
The inside of the gallery space has been transformed into an artificial spring oasis. The visitors encounter apple blossoms and butterflies - an irritating picture of the relationship between man and nature.
The centerpiece of the current exhibition of THE PROPOSAL is a blossoming ornamental apple tree, a so-called “Malus Evereste”. The springtime idyll however deceives: the tree is nourished by infusions, the fluttering butterflies hatch in suspended “hatch tents”. What becomes obvious here is often ignored in daily life: we are creating artificial nature.
This artificial springtime will be on display from March 30th to April 22nd
Signs of Time
The blooming apple tree and the hatching butterflies are not just the beginning of summer; they are also a symbol for the approaching end of spring. In meteorology the late spring takes place from the end of April to the end of May. However, this is influenced by the temperature and can vary depending on the region. The blossoms of the "Malus Evereste" are an indication of the final stage of spring. The resent tendency shows that the beginning and end of spring (measured by the temperature) is becoming increasingly earlier. At the exhibition the blossoming of the apple tree will be a symbol for the last phase of spring and therefore making this tendency of climate change visible.