Press Release

We can barely imagine a life without accumulation. Whether money, property, clothing or technical devices, material possessions determine our daily life. Yet immaterial values such as social status, influence, wealth or knowledge are also accumulated. They decide who we are and how we see ourselves both individually and socially.

The second sequence of Accumulation—on Collecting, Growth and Excess links up to the first part of the exhibition series. The works presented delve deeply into the engagement with accumulation, taking as their theme ways in which the mechanisms of endless growth manifests itself in everyday power structures. Works from the collection, loans and new productions enter into dialogue with one another, extending the discourse from a variety of geographical and historical perspectives.

International Archives 1st half of 2025

Accumulation - on Collecting, Growth and Excess

Migros Museum, Zurich (Switzerland)

14.06 - 27.07.2025

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While the first sequence of the exhibition revealed how accumulation appeared in modern-day societies and what effects they have—such as the preservation of neo-colonial structures, the exploitation of people and resources, or the dominance of eurocentric value systems—Sequence II turns its focus towards the material traces of growth. It asks: what influence does the principle of accumulation have on the global movement of people, goods and capital, driven by economic necessity, ecological crises, global inequalities and historical power relations?

The positions shown address the tension between systems and individuals, as well as between the public and private sphere. They illuminate the mechanisms of exploitation in the Anthropocene, the age in which humans have become the most important factor influencing planetary processes: the toxic legacy of the fast fashion industry, the exhaustion of natural resources, the growing mountains of waste in urban areas. They tackle the subject of global financial flows that intervene profoundly in political and cultural processes. They expose colonial narratives through their material—such as mahogany wood, for example, which reminds us of the violent history of slavery and the transnational movement of the black diaspora. And they turn their focus onto digital infrastructures such as underground cable systems that interconnect our modern world.

Accumulation leaves traces behind in the environment, in bodies and in communities—recognisable signs, but deep scars, too. Yet from these fractures, new forms of resistance can grow. The exhibition reveals alternative strategies of care, of collective healing and of resilience; it offers alternative ways of dealing with systemic inequalities.

The two sequences are linked by continual reflection on the role and mission of the museum, in particular with regard to their collecting practices. For the collection of art also means the accumulation of power. What alternative strategies could help in challenging and changing existing practices?

A varied programme devised in collaboration with other artists and participants opens up space for the exchange of ideas and discussion. The exhibition reveals not only the destructive consequence of unfettered growth; it also shows ruptures, resistance and models. It thus encourages visitors to reflect upon new conceptions of society.

With works by: Bare Minimum Collective, Wang Bing, Anne-Lise Coste (Uruk), Rhea Dillon, Rindon Johnson, Nils Amadeus Lange, Mimi Ọnụọha, Sandra Poulson, Daniel Arnan Quarshie, and Raqs Media Collective

From the Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst collection: Art & Language, Clegg & Guttmann, Joana Hadjithomas & Khalil Joreige, Gianni Motti, Yuri Pattison and Mierle Laderman Ukeles

Curated by Tasnim Baghdadi (Museum co-director—programmes) and Nadia Schneider Willen (Museum co-director—collection) with Paula Thomaka (assistant curator) as well as Linda Addae and Mirta Gianocca (trainee / curatorial assistant).

Exhibition 14 June - 27 July 2025. Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst, Limmatstrasse 270 – Löwenbräukunst - 8005 Zürich (Switzerland). T +41 44 277 20 50. Hours: Tuesday–Sunday 11am–6pm, Thursday 11am–8pm.

Gianni Motti, Moneybox, 2009. Sammlung Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst, © ProLitteris, Zürich. Photo: Stefan Altenburger Photography, Zürich.