With the project Ship of Tolerance presented by the Ilya and Emilia Kabakov Foundation, the Kunsthaus Zug invites the public to reflect on the themes of tolerance and respect. The Kunsthaus is thus offering an artistic contribution to one of society’s major current topics while taking part in the artist’s duo global project. The Ship of Tolerance will be inaugurated in Zug on September 10.
For Ship of Tolerance, a participatory project dedicated to the theme of tolerance and respect towards other cultures and ideas, this productive co-operation will continue, but in a novel way that involves broad segments of the general public. Through the language of art, Ilya and Emilia Kabakov intend to connect children, young people and adults of different continents, cultures and identities by actively involving them in the project.
Kunsthaus Zug and the internationally renowned artists are laying down a marker for tolerance and respect in the current, very difficult situation in world politics. The Ship of Tolerance is a strong symbolic metaphor which is accessible for everyone whatever the educational or cultural background.
The Zug region, whose residents belonging to over 140 different nationalities, illustrates how it is possible for people of widely differing cultures and patterns of living to coexist peacefully together, and hence provides a suitable setting for the Ship of Tolerance. At the same time, because of the region’s strong involvement in the global economy, the project also raises typical questions and problems.
A wooden ship will be built, about twenty metres long, five and a half metres wide and with an eleven-metre mast. Mounted on a raft, it will circulate on Lake Zug. The ship will be built by artist assistants working together with apprentice carpenters and unemployed people. The sail will be made up of a hundred and twenty individually painted pieces of canvas, and will be illuminated after dark. During September and October the Ship of Tolerance will stop at different locations, where its presence will be marked by special events. Afterwards it will be presented as a special exhibit at the Zug Trade Fair. Finally, the ship will be given a permanent place at a suitable location in the Canton of Zug, where it will serve as a venue.