Meat - An Exhibition on the Inner Life

Fleisch-Grafik-Web-NB

Are you a meat-eater or a vegetarian? Some will happily tuck into a juicy T-bone steak while others prefer a vegetable hummus burger. Whatever we choose, the food on our plate shapes our perceptions of who we are – proving that, as the saying goes, “you are what you eat”. Our exhibition looks at the processes behind this phenomenon, following meat from the table back via the butcher’s shop to the slaughterhouse and the farm. We reveal what’s in the meat we consume, where it comes from, and where its future lies. 

Ultimately, we are as much flesh and blood as the animals we (sometimes) eat, so our exhibition broadens its focus to include the human element: from building muscle through strength training and reducing body fat in the gym to the stuff of religious ritual. And against the backdrop of climate change and the debate over animal rights, choosing between a sausage and grilled cheese has turned into a question of identity. The crunch time has well and truly come. 

Taking in everything from Friedrich Dürrenmatt’s visions of butchers and Daniel Spoerri’s Eat Art to songs by Stiller Has and sausage ads by Bell, recipe books and lifestyle manuals, the exhibition examines our relationship to meat and investigates the role of a substance that is at once living entity, commodity and gourmet temptation. This multimedia presentation is all about the inner life of carnivores and vegans – a meaty subject indeed! 

Visit

Opening hours
4 March – 30 June 2021
Mon– Fri, 9 a.m.–6 p.m.

Admission free

Private guided tours available on request. Contact

Events

Guided tour of the exhibition
10 March 2021, 5.30 p.m. via Instagram
3 May 2021, 12 midday
15 June 2021, 6 p.m.

Library Live
Instagram Live Talks @swissnationallibrary

Finissage 
30 June 2021, 6 p.m. CANCELLED
A casual evening barbecue with vegetables and more

Changes are possible due to Covid-19.

Last modification 21.09.2021

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Contact

Swiss National Library
Communication and marketing
Hallwylstrasse 15
3003 Bern
Switzerland
Phone +41 58 465 57 08
E-mail

Print contact

https://www.nb.admin.ch/content/snl/en/home/ausstellungen-va/ausstellungen-past/fleisch.html