Raising awareness of violence in the museum

“Courageous, strong, provocative, irritating, stimulating, memorable, important”. These were the reactions when the employees of Opferhilfe beider Basel heard about the planned exhibition at Museum Tinguely from curator Sandra Beate Reimann.

From April 9, the museum will be showing a video installation by Suzanne Lacy, which is based on a performance by the artist from 2015. It features male characters reading aloud from letters. The letters deal with brutal gender-specific and domestic violence from the perspective of female victims.

Bringing violence to life
The exhibition “Stronger than violence” on the subject of domestic violence made it clear that exhibitions can stimulate valuable discussions. Talking about violence is one thing. Making violence tangible, staging it, entering into a relationship with it – that has a completely different effect.

We would like to thank Sandra Beate Reimann and the Museum Tinguely for having the courage to tackle this important social issue. And we are impressed by how carefully and prudently they tackled the project.

Raising awareness
The curator was aware that the exhibition had the potential to upset and burden people, including those affected by violence. The museum management therefore decided to provide all employees with special training and raise their awareness. It has asked Opferhilfe beider Basel to take on this task. We are, of course, very happy to do so.

Panel discussion
The idea of holding a panel discussion during the Art Days on August 30th has also matured in exchange with the curator. Alexandra Frank, public prosecutor of Basel-Stadt, and Anna-Béatrice Schmaltz, head of the “16 Days against Violence against Women” campaign and program manager for violence prevention, will examine and critically question various “aspects of gender-specific violence in Switzerland and Basel”.

Guided tours and workshops
Together with the museum’s art education team, we will organize individual guided tours and workshops with school classes. According to the Grand Council, gender-specific violence should become an integral part of secondary school. This is an interactive contribution to effective awareness-raising.

Suzanne Lacy: By Your Own Hand

9. April – September 7, 2025 at the Tinguely Museum, Paul Sacher-Anlage 1, 4058 Basel

   In her video installation De tu puño y letra (By Your Own Hand)(2014-2015/2019), Suzanne Lacy positions visitors in the middle of a bullring and confronts them with the harrowing evidence of brutal gender-specific and domestic violence. The Los Angeles-based artist is a pioneer of feminist and activist performance art and social practice, in which she combines art with social action.

Further information on the exhibition
Flyer for the exhibition
Press release Suzanne Lacy