In February 2001, Rein Wolfs, director of the Migros Museum in Zurich, acquired the message salon caravan as a work of art for the museum’s collection. Esther Eppstein has restaged the caravan for this purpose and filled it with documents covering the first five years of message salon, as well as photographs, photo albums, a VHS video club, a video TV, a record player, souvenirs, documentation and works of art. The newly acquired artwork “message salon caravan 1998–2000” is now on display for the first time at the museum as part of the collection exhibition “Let’s be friends”.
Rein Wolfs, Director and Curator of the Migros Museum, on the acquisition of the message salon caravan for the museum’s collection:
” … For five years, Esther Eppstein has been exploring the realities of the creative processes of young Zurich-based artists. She is committed to providing a platform where people can work, exhibit and celebrate together in a collective setting. message salon serves both as a platform for supporting young artists and as an art project in its own right. Esther Eppstein’s roles are manifold; she acts as an artist, curator and gallery owner. The message salon is a piece of Swiss art and cultural history and is regarded as an important reservoir from which the subsequent boom in young Swiss art emerged.
The collection of the Migros Museum now includes a caravan as a former authentic venue for these events. As a cosy camping site, it serves here as a documentation centre where visitors can gain insights into the events. Piles of photos, records, cassettes and videos by the artists bear witness to the caravan’s bygone era. ”
The exhibition is curated by Rein Wolfs and Gianni Jetzter.
Esther Eppstein would like to thank the team at the Migros Museum for the smooth transport and installation of the caravan, as well as Selina Trepp and Saskja Rosset for their help with setting it up in the museum.