Roman Signer of St. Gall (b. 1938) has made a name for himself with his artistic actions since 1981 and, in addition to enjoying wide popularity, is one of Switzerland’s most prominent artists. Taking sculpture as his point of departure, Signer is interested in energetic processes and their effects in his “Ereignisse” (“happenings”, Signer), but also how they manifest themselves in his objects and installations. In his preoccupation with the natural elements of water, fire, earth and air, Signer’s concern is the investigation of time. Human beings are also subject to the forces of physical transformation. In Signer’s works, the playful and humorous suddenly take on an existentialist quality; transience lurks behind experimental nonchalance. The “aimlessly” acting artist is ironically paraded as the perpetual failure whose lonely taboo violations and other disasters hardly leave a trace and literally go up in smoke. The artist’s objects as well as his room installations of simple articles of everyday use also bear features of the ephemeral, while at the same time, as striking, poetic images, pointing beyond the boundaries of their own existence.

Roman and Aleksandra Signer have been close friends of Peter (deceased) and Christine Kamm of Zug since the early 1990s. The Kamm family (with Christa Kamm) initially distinguished itself with its collection of Modern art, particularly Viennese Modernism, which has been at Kunsthaus Zug as the Stiftung Sammlung Kamm (Kamm Collection Foundation) since 1998. It was established by the parents of Peter Kamm with the ongoing advice of the Austrian sculptor Fritz Wotruba, a friend of the senior Kamms. Christine Kamm (art historian) and Peter Kamm (architect) likewise cultivated friendships with contemporary artists who accompanied them in their purchasing decisions, particularly with the sculptor Roman Signer. On the occasion of this exhibition installed by the artist himself, the Kamms’ complete Signer holdings, encompassing more than ninety works will be donated to the Kunsthaus Zug. The works include numerous sketches, photographs, videos, objects, large installations, multiples and books representing the artist’s entire oeuvre from 1975 to 2007. The artist, for his part, also presented the museum with a gift of new photographic works and a video of 2008. The result is the most comprehensive public Signer collection in Switzerland.

At Kunsthaus Zug it will enhance our Project: Collection series, which comprises the works of those artists who have cooperated with the museum over several years: Olafur Eliasson, Tadashi Kawamata, Pavel Pepperstein and Richard Tuttle. What Roman Signer has in common with these artists is an interest in process, transience and time. In keeping with the Project: Collection series, a long-term cooperation with Roman Signer has thus been launched. What began with the Kamms in the private context is now being continued in and for the public.

The exhibition is a homage on Peter Kamm, who died unexpectedly in early 2008. The Zuger Kunstgesellschaft and the Kunsthaus Zug are highly indebted to him and Christine Kamm.