The artist Florence Jung is known for the fact that she does not put on her performances herself, but leaves them to third parties. In addition, her works may not be photographed or documented by institutions. On the occasion of the research festival Conserving Performance, Performing Conservation, Florence Jung discusses her artistic strategy and her works, which the Aargauer Kunsthaus has received on permanent loan from the Federal Office of Culture, with Hanna B. Hölling, research professorat at Bern University of the Arts, Simona Ciuccio, Head of Collection + Exhibitions Aargauer Kunsthaus, and Emilie Magnin, conservator at the Kunstmuseum Bern and doctoral candidate at Bern University of the Arts.

The discussion centres on the question of how to deal with such ephemeral works in a collection. How do we interact with a work of art that is presented under constantly changing conditions? How do we deal with works whose only trace is the oral tradition? And how do we preserve these ephemeral works?

In cooperation with the research festival Conserving Performance, Performing Conservation of Bern University of the Arts, which will take place from 14 to 29 September 2024 in Aarau, Bern, Geneva, Lausanne and Zurich.

Florence Jung’s work is reflected in the collection publication Aargauer Kunsthaus – Mit Gegenwartskunst umgehen (Verlag Scheidegger & Spiess). Among other things, the publication takes an in-depth look at issues relating to the conservation of performances.

Aperitif afterwards