January weekend for young and old, tall and small

Dear visitors to Gessnerallee, dear artists

On the weekend of 24 and 25 January, we invite you to a very special family weekend at Gessnerallee. With the play ‘Das Haus meines Geistes’ (Home of My Spirit), the Old Masters collective will transport children aged 4 and up into a room full of images, objects and visions on Saturday, 24 January. The story revolves around three friends, Kim, Klöb and Mauro, whose speciality is using objects in ways you wouldn't expect. Then they get a visit from Jonathan, Klöb's cousin, who still has to learn to believe in his ideas. A play about imagination and finding your own voice.

Singer Rita Roof also had to learn to believe in herself. She will be performing with her band on Sunday, 25 January, as part of our popular children's concert series on the stage of Stall6. Roof has spent a good two decades away from the spotlight, enhancing some of Switzerland's biggest hits with her exceptional voice, both on stage and on record. In a portrait in our newspaper (only in German), Roof describes her journey from backing singer to solo artist: ‘When you make music, it's about feeling and exploring, it's about making space for what you're doing right now.’

Secure your tickets for ‘Das Haus meines Geistes’ by Old Masters and tickets for Rita Roof's children's concert. It's worth coming more than once, by the way: Fai Baba & Amour sur Mars will be the final act in the 2025/26 children's concert series on Sunday, 22 March at Stall6.

Now for the weekly overview of the programme, newspaper articles, news and everything else we want to share with you:

Programme

14 January, 5.30 pm

‘Beyond Formal Structures – Self-Organised Cultural initiatives’ by artasfoundation

A vibrant civil society depends on independent structures and networks. Their importance becomes particularly clear when state structures are weak, are being dismantled or are authoritarian in nature. In a conversation with Vigen Galstyan (curator, founder of ManBan Archive of Visual Culture), online, and Yifei Chen (artist, co-editor of Prickly Paper, co-initiator of Tofu Stand), on site, the question of how non-state cultural initiatives can take shape in China, Armenia and beyond will be addressed. More information

14, 15, 17, 18 January

‘Glistening (Remembering the Unknown)’ by DIVAS

DIVAS is not a fixed project, but a permeable network for local artists in Zurich. On 14 January, the collective will celebrate the premiere of its new piece. It is an invitation to a journey into a dance performance that allows connectedness to be experienced in different ways. The premiere is already sold out, but tickets are still available for the remaining performances. More information

29, 30, 31 January

‘Wen Keng We Meet? – On Connection’ by RRRRRR Collective

The Euro-Asian RRRRRR Collective, consisting of Keng Chen, Wen-Chi Liu, Dino Radoncic, Eneas Prawdzic, Nathalie Stirnimann and Stefan Stojanovic, explores the question of how we can remain connected despite the return of borders, divisions and geopolitical tensions. The premiere is already sold out, but tickets are still available for the remaining performances. More information

You can find an overview of the 2025/26 programme on our website.

Newspaper

‘What do I actually want?’ (only in German)

Rita Roof has been performing on stage as a singer for over 20 years – initially always in the background, never in the media spotlight. About her journey to becoming a solo artist and the courage to take up space. Read article

Furthermore

We are looking for a lighting technician (60–70%) to start in August 2026 or by agreement. We look forward to receiving your application by 27 February 2026 at veserwalther@gessnerallee.ch. To the job advertisement

We look forward to your visit.

The Gessnerallee team