On the occasion of the 110th anniversary of Dada. Live performance of the Gerit Rietfeld ZIG-ZAG chair by Robert Wettstein.
DADA meets De Stijl: An artistic search for clues between Zurich and Leiden
In his work, Zurich-based performer Robert Wettstein explores the surprising parallels between the Zurich DADA movement and the Dutch De Stijl group. The starting point for his performance is an iconic piece of furniture: the Zig Zag chair, designed by Gerrit Thomas Rietveld in 1932. Since 1919, Rietveld had been a member of the De Stijl movement founded by Theo van Doesburg and Piet Mondrian, which had a decisive influence on modernism with its radical reduction, clear lines, and universal design language.
Wettstein combines this creative heritage with the anarchic energy of Zurich DADA. The historical roots go back to 1916, when theater maker Hugo Ball asked innkeeper Jan Ephraim to let him use the back room of his dairy farm, known as the “Holländerstübli.” Ball wanted to create an international cabaret there: an open place for artistic experimentation, intellectual exchange, and radical forms of expression. This vision gave rise to the legendary Cabaret Voltaire, the birthplace of DADA.
The performance now builds a bridge between these two avant-garde movements. While DADA rebelled against cultural conventions in Zurich with sound poems, collages, and performative provocation, De Stijl sought a universal, harmonious order of forms in Leiden.
Location: Goldrausch Art Salon, Haus Untere Zäune 3, 8001 Zürich.
Opening reception
February 5, 7–10 p.m. – cabaret/performances starting at 8 p.m. > Roberts performance.
February 6, 7–10 p.m. – cabaret/performances starting at 8 p.m.
Exhibition until February 25, 2026
