ETH Zürich - Institut für Geschichte und Theorie der Architektur, gta Ausstellungen, Stefano-Franscini-Platz 5, 8049 Zürich
The exhibition "Tendencies - Modern Architecture in Ticino" at the ETH Zurich in 1975 marked a decisive moment in the history of Swiss architecture.
Curated by Martin Steinmann and designed by Thomas Boga, it brought a younger generation of Ticino architects, including Luigi Snozzi, Aurelio Galfetti, Livio Vacchini and Mario Botta, to the attention of a broader public, drawing attention to a regional architectural culture based on material precision and conceptual autonomy. The exhibition and the catalog of the same name quickly became reference points in contemporary architectural discourse and attracted international attention; specialist journals such as "Oppositions", "A+U" and "L'Architecture d'aujourd'hui" devoted special issues to Ticino architecture.
Fifty years later, "Tendenzen at 50" revisits the original event. Based on extensive research by Irina Davidovici and Frida Grahn, the exhibition sheds light on the original 1975 issue both as a cultural document and as a vehicle for the dissemination of architectural ideas in the analog age of Xerox copies, letters, photos and slides. "Tendencies at 50" examines how these ideas circulated, how the exhibition shaped discourses and why certain curatorial positions have remained relevant over the decades. Previously unpublished manuscripts, working notes, correspondence, layout studies and architectural drawings provide an insight into the curatorial processes and the international dissemination of the historical exhibition. These archive materials are supplemented by a large-scale reconstruction model of the original exhibition and new photographs by Stefano Graziani.
Curated by Irina Davidovici and Frida Grahn. A collaboration between gta exhibitions and gta archive. Model by Studio Christ & Gantenbein.
Opening: Tuesday, March 3, 2026, 18:00-20:00
18:30-19:00: "Honey, I shrunk tendencies! Scales of an Exhibition". The curators Irina Davidovici and Frida Grahn in conversation with the architects Emanuel Christ, Christoph Gantenbein and Alessandro Pasero
Events (in English language)
25 March, 18:00-20:00: Communicating Architecture: A Roundtable on Mediatization
15 April, 18:00-20:00: Preserving Culture: A Roundtable on Heritage and the Archive
April 21, 12:30-14:00: Architecture and Photography: Lunchtime talk by Stefano Graziani
May 5, 18:00-20:00: Finissage: The Catalogue as Paper Apparatus
Note: This text was translated by machine translation software and not by a human translator. It may contain translation errors.
Fifty years later, "Tendenzen at 50" revisits the original event. Based on extensive research by Irina Davidovici and Frida Grahn, the exhibition sheds light on the original 1975 issue both as a cultural document and as a vehicle for the dissemination of architectural ideas in the analog age of Xerox copies, letters, photos and slides. "Tendencies at 50" examines how these ideas circulated, how the exhibition shaped discourses and why certain curatorial positions have remained relevant over the decades. Previously unpublished manuscripts, working notes, correspondence, layout studies and architectural drawings provide an insight into the curatorial processes and the international dissemination of the historical exhibition. These archive materials are supplemented by a large-scale reconstruction model of the original exhibition and new photographs by Stefano Graziani.
Curated by Irina Davidovici and Frida Grahn. A collaboration between gta exhibitions and gta archive. Model by Studio Christ & Gantenbein.
Opening: Tuesday, March 3, 2026, 18:00-20:00
18:30-19:00: "Honey, I shrunk tendencies! Scales of an Exhibition". The curators Irina Davidovici and Frida Grahn in conversation with the architects Emanuel Christ, Christoph Gantenbein and Alessandro Pasero
Events (in English language)
25 March, 18:00-20:00: Communicating Architecture: A Roundtable on Mediatization
15 April, 18:00-20:00: Preserving Culture: A Roundtable on Heritage and the Archive
April 21, 12:30-14:00: Architecture and Photography: Lunchtime talk by Stefano Graziani
May 5, 18:00-20:00: Finissage: The Catalogue as Paper Apparatus
Note: This text was translated by machine translation software and not by a human translator. It may contain translation errors.