Vorwort

Dear readers,

This catalogue of the Swiss Art Awards not only offers insight into the creativity of the winners of the largest Swiss art prize, but also dedicates itself to a particularly sensitive theme in the contemporary artworld: that of «self marketing». To begin, a minimal definition: marketing means «the application of methods and techniques to win a market share... also... the market in which a firm or organisation decides to compete, and positioning against competitors». The task of the Federal Office of Culture in the context of the Swiss Art Awards is not only to bring the work of artists to the attention of a broad public, but also to that of the art market, and to bestow upon artists the necessary resources to produce their art and live from it. Let us be frank: the economic survival of the artist is, with rare exceptions, dependent upon the art market. And how does the self marketing of our artists, their «positioning vis-a-vis competitors», look in reality?
To draw some loose observations from the last compe­titions: there are artists without smart phones, and unanswered press queries, but there are also those with social media strategies and professional installation plans. In the exhibition hall there stood, directly next to the work, a pencilled notice with a private email address, in case an interested buyer came along. But there is also the self-assured flair of the global bohemian, who drinks one coffee after another with important cura­tors at the art fair each morning, even as the dark rings under the eyes betray the party nights with gallerists... The range of positioning stra­tegies of our artists is as broad as their artistic palettes. We studied, in a playful way, how these successful Swiss artists presented themselves within an unforgiving art market and wider world. We explored the self-marketing strategies of our prize recipients in diverse printed material—their work descriptions, invitation cards, flyers and so on—with the aide of a simple statistical analysis.
Naturally this is, above all, an interesting lesson for all who are not working directly in the art world. According to art critic Isabelle Graw, artist’s self marketing betrays in its extremes much about the condition of our society. The essay by MoMA bibliographer and ephemera specialist David Senior reflecting on invitation cards demonstrates that this self marketing can also be interpreted as an artistic strategy.

This publication on self marketing is the launch of a new thematic trilogy in the annual Swiss Art Awards catalogue, and we are delighted to celebrate it with you. Stay with us, because things will stay exciting. The theme of next year’s edition will be Migration, and the third volume dedicates itself to the term of Support. See you at the opening of the coming Swiss Art Awards in Basel on the 13th of June 2016!

Léa Fluck
Federal Office of Culture, Department for Cultural Creation

Nadia Schneider Willen
President of the Federal Art Commission