Esther Eppstein talks to cultural journalist Susanna Koeberle about thirty years of the ‘message salon’. The current exhibition venue at the ‘Kupper Modern’ art space on Zwinglistrasse holds particular significance for Esther Eppstein, as Zwinglistrasse is linked to her family history and, consequently, to her journey as an artist..
In addition, the practice of the ‘salon’ is the focus of the artist talk. Esther Eppstein calls her art space the ‘message salon’ partly in reference to the tradition of European and American salons, which were often shaped by women of Jewish origin, such as the American writer Gertrude Stein, who lived on the Rue de Fleurus in Paris and welcomed many famous guests – from Pablo Picasso to Ernest Hemingway – to her salon, thereby securing her place in the history of modern art.
Gertrude Stein and her partner Alice B. Toklas also feature in the current exhibition “message salon so long”. Multimedia artist Amos Angeles, who has been active at message salon since the Perla-Mode era, is presenting the exclusive gold thaler “Space Edition” of his fruit bread “Goldstei’” to mark message salon’s 30th anniversary. The gold thalers are a work of art with a unique history and impact. The significance of these gold thalers may be linked to the recently rediscovered correspondence between the world’s most famous salonière Gertrude Stein, and the city’s well-known salonière Esther Eppstein, also known as Madame l’Ambassadeur.
Susanna Koeberle is a cultural journalist and a board member at Omanut; she lives in Zurich.