Der Offspace Vitrine ist Teil des Yogastudios Hrdayam und befindet sich an der Gerechtigkeitsgasse 77 in Bern. Der Raum wurde im März 2022 von Katrin Sperry als Plattform für ortsspezifische Installationen gegründet. Durch seine besondere Ausgangslage – als gläserner Ausstellungsraum mitten im belebten Stadtraum – ermöglicht die Vitrine zufällige Begegnungen mit zeitgenössischer Kunst im Alltag.

Seit Oktober 2025 wird der Raum von José Miguel del Pozo und Katrin Sperry ko-kuratiert.

Für den Erhalt des Newsletters schicke uns gerne deine Emailadresse: vitrineoffspace@gmail.com

Aktuell

Stirnimann-Stojanovic
- Grüessech,
gärn einisch einähaub Meter Büecher
und äh haubä Tag ir Wuchä Läsezyt,
bitte.

22. November 2025 - 15. März 2026
Vernissage: 21. November, 18.30 Uhr

(English translation)
- Hello,
one and a half meters of books
and half a day of reading time per week,
please

One and a half meters of personal objects, gifts from friends, found pieces from visited places – and a great many books.
Books they have read, books that have inspired and carried them further, but also those still waiting to be opened and studied. One and a half meters – the length of the offspace Vitrine – becomes the gap on Stirnimann-Stojanovic’s shelf. But what happens when the artist duo relocates one and a half meters of personal insights into the vitrine?

The act of reading books has a long history. Yet the bookshelf as a piece of furniture, as we know it today, has only existed since the mid-twentieth century – a time when books first became affordable for private households, and leisure reading could begin to establish itself. Before that, books were usually kept protected behind glass, in bookcases or display cabinets – closing the circle with the current exhibition.
Despite physical accessibility, there is often a lack of time and mental space for reading.
But reading means taking time, resting, thinking oneself into something, thinking further, reflecting, discussing, letting things settle. Reading is part of artistic practice, simply necessary for producing. Yet how can space for reading be claimed when applications must be written, projects realized, one must rush about while trying to remain present and relevant? How can reading be monetized?

For the vitrine installation, the artists begin where it is possible for them. They use the framework of the exhibition as a space for action, allowing part of the production budget to flow into the purchase of books and converting part of their fee into paid reading time:
“Half a day of reading time per week, please.”
By working with what already exists, what is often missing becomes visible: unproductive but necessary time that enables thought. Reading as non-productive time, idleness as political practice.
The transfer of books mirrors the act of asserting and demanding such a space. The museal presentation of the books behind glass makes both the need and the inaccessibility visible.

The gap that has appeared on the duo’s shelf is not merely a symbolic emptiness but a space of possibility. While the studio is, in a literal sense, relieved of objects, a gap opens up that invites reconfiguration.
Within the vitrine itself, one and a half meters of display space remain for that which is not for sale: space for reflection and for care. The installation by Stirnimann-Stojanovic can thus be understood as a circulation of space and attention.

The postcard may be taken. It shows the one and a half meters of bookshelf and lists what can be seen in the vitrine. Perhaps you recognize some titles or discover new reading material – perhaps you will open a new book today.

Mit freundlicher Unterstützung: Schweizer Kulturstiftung Pro Helvetia, Kanton Bern, Stadt Bern, Burgergemeinde Bern

Archiv

2022

Jennifer Merlyn Scherler. Imagine being loved by me (03.03.-07.05.)
Kathrin Affentranger. Fruits of Love and Pain (08.05.-02.06.)
Karen Amanda Moser. Potential (03.06.-07.08.)
Tamara Janes. Energetic Devotion (12.08.-18.10.)
Caroline von Gunten. Unlearn to Draw (21.10.-28.11)

2023

Anna-Lisa Schneeberger. ANFANG ENDE ANFANG (02.12.-12.02)
Olivia Abächerli. Your atoms cling on to me 2 (17.02.-10.04.)
Laurina Fässler. 0.225 (14.04.-27.06.)
Sapir Kesem Leary. o.T. (30.06.-10.10.)
Daria Gusberti. How Hard It Is For Trees To Grow Backwards (13.10.-15.12.)

2024

Floyd Grimm & Ruven Stettler. Beyond the Coast (22.12.-23.02.)
Felix Stöckle. Chien Plat (01.03.-06.06.)
Lika Nüssli. Loss and Grief (07.06.-04.09.)
Eva Maria Gisler. Utensilien (08.09.-01.12.)

2025

Sereina Steinemann. Aktion (06.12.-23.03.)
Jonas Etter. Why is there nothing here when there should be something (29.03.-04.06.)
Linda Meli. Interlude (20.06.-17.08.)
Vinzenz Meyner, E like Wood, S like Fire, W like Metal, N like Water, C like Earth (22.08.-11.11.)