Christ & Gantenbein

With its penultimate exhibition of the year, the Gallery of Contemporary Art and Architecture presents leading Swiss architectural firm Christ & Gantenbein.

The firm was founded in 1998 in Basel by Emanuel Christ and Christoph Gantenbein. Their work emphasizes sustainability – not from the perspective of the latest trends but in terms of the sustainability of forms, with a sensitive and multifaceted understanding of material, an attempt at continuity, and great emphasis on relating to the past.

The work of Christ & Gantenbein recognizes the significance of the buildings which we use and traverse and which form an important part of the city. There's a profound sense of responsibilty engrained in their work, aiming to create architectures that will remain relevant and functional for future generations.

As Gantenbein says, “We try to connect our buildings with the intellectual history and with the physical reality of the given setting. We like to say that if we do it with all seriousness and generosity, then these buildings will last more than a hundred years.”

Christ and Gantenbein do not prioritize immediate contemporaneity, instead they seek to do architecture that seems timeless, with a focus on the relationship to history, bringing cultural heritage into the future. Their practice resonates with the work of Adolf Loos, who believed modernity arises not from an obsession with novelty but from eschewing constant reinvention.

In addition to their work as architects, Christ and Gantenbein are also actively engaged in teaching activities. Here, too, we find a typical aspect of their work: the interweaving of research with practice. Both have held professorships in architecture and design at Zurich’s prestigious ETH since 2018 and have taught at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. They also taught at the Accademia di Architettura in Mendrisio (2004, 2006, 2009) and at the Oslo School of Architecture and Design in 2008.

Christ & Gantenbein has completed many projects, most of them on the basis of architectural competitions. They always try to see opportunity in the fact that they are following on “something.” They perceive historical architecture not merely as “old”, but as artifacts approached with the utmost sensitivity. Perfect examples of this approach are the firm’s transformation of the Swiss National Museum in Zurich, as well as expansion projects such as the new building of the Kunstmuseum Basel.

“Models,” in fact, are the main subject of this exhibition which highlights enduring themes in Christ & Gantenbein’s work, now taking on new dimensions such as building with and within what is already existing, architecture as a technical discipline, sustainable urbanism, typology and the city, and creating spaces for art. These tangible challenges are embodied in objects of modest yet evocative beauty, showcasing architectural models as representations of a particular reality while igniting the imagination of alternate possibilities. In an era where artificial intelligence challenges our perception and our relation with authenticity, the physical architectural model becomes a tribute to the limitless potential for interpretation.

At the České Budějovice House of Art, Christ & Gantenbein invites visitors to explore the open-ended narratives woven into each model. Among the projects featured in this showcase are notable landmarks such as the Kunstmuseum Basel or the University Hospital in Zurich, providing a glimpse into an architectural journey over the years.