‘Re-Orientations’ is an exclusive production created by the Kunsthaus itself. The approximately 170 drawings, watercolours, paintings and photographs, metal, ceramic and glass objects as well as textiles, videos, installations and an animated film are drawn mainly from European collections, and have been brought together to set up a unique dialogue. Curator Dr Sandra Gianfreda and a team of experts have spent two years preparing the presentation. It places works by the following artists in the context of developments in society: Clara Laila Abid Alsstar, Hélène Adant, Anila Quayyum Agha, Nevin Aladağ, Baltensperger + Siepert, Muhammet Ali Baş, Marwan Bassiouni, Edmond Bénard, Henriette Browne, Carlo Bugatti, Théodore Deck, William De Morgan, Mariano Fortuny y Madrazo, Karl Gerstner, Jean-Léon Gérôme, Jaʿfar ibn Najaf ʿAli, Elisabeth Jerichau-Baumann, Wassily Kandinsky, Gülsün Karamustafa, Bouchra Khalili, Paul Klee, J. & L. Lobmeyr, Henri Matisse, Gabriele Münter, MuhammadʿAli Ashraf, Muhammad Jaʿfar, Muhammad Yusuf, Osman Hamdi Bey, Lotte Reiniger, Charles Claude Rudhardt, Salah al-Din. Also represented are numerous unknown historical artists from Algeria, Egypt, India, Iran, Iraq, Morocco, Spain, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey and Uzbekistan.

Historical explanations and definitions help to elucidate the selection and interrelationships of these and other artistic positions.

‘Re-Orientations’ is an artistic plea for a continuation of the transcultural exchange between East and West, South and North, extending beyond ethnic, religious and national boundaries. It is also a critical examination of how we deal with our cultural heritage. Dr Sandra Gianfreda developed the concept with the assistance of a scientific panel comprising the following members: Prof. Rémi Labrusse, Professor of Contemporary Art History at the University of Paris-Nanterre; Dr Axel Langer, Curator Near and Middle East and Swiss masks, Museum Rietberg, Zurich; Hannan Salamat, M.A. in cultural studies and theology with a focus on Islam, lecturer at the ZIID – Zürcher Institut für interreligiösen Dialog, Zurich (Zurich Institute for Interfaith Dialogue).