(*this text is not finished) Venture Capitalists’ strategies a group exhibition with artworks by Rafal Skoczek, Jaana Kristiina Alakoski, Kaspar Ludwig, Ingo Niermann, Federico Schott, Sara Sjölin and Tilman Hornig. some thoughts on the exhibition... Venture capital invests in promising ideas. In most cases, the initial risk was already taken by government backed funding, only after that, VCs step in and speculate with private investors’ money. It is sort of a gambling but also calculated most of the time, hopes are of course that there is profit to be made, or just selling it off after maturing the idea. Whether it is a scam or true value is determined in the process of things un- folding. This summer, Instagram’s algorithm considered me to be a potential target for a space. I was suggested to apply via an ad for the use of an empty store or office, a “pop up” in the shopping center “Stücki Park” - where we are right now. I was very excited about it, and it almost felt like a manifestation of my dreams of curating challenges, because I had been eyeing this space for almost a year, thinking about this shopping center as an exhibition space. I’ve always noticed that there’s a kind of social engagement in this mall, besides the shopping and entertainment offers, groups of teenagers who use the space to hang out and people working in offices during the day, going for lunch at the variety of venues inside the mall. Somehow, the weird and funny architecture in the center of the mall, covered in faux wood texture and bless- ed with several balconies, reminding one of an M.C. Escher drawing, caught my attention since day one. What was going on here, was it ever being used and what for? It just seemed so odd, to build this, like a wild 3D model com- ing to life, the thought of a harmonising structure combing office work and shopping life all inside the mall. A house inside a house, a closed circuit so to say. Its very own economy maybe. Thinking about artists that might have interest in engaging with this space, I invited Rafal Skoczek, Jaana Kristiina Alakoski, Kaspar Ludwig, Ingo Niermann, Federico Schott, Sara Sjölin, and Tilman Hornig and proposed to explore the possibility of exhibiting inside this architecture, a shopping center, inside Stücki Park. What kind of dialogue presents itself when you have the possibility to exhibit in one of the most basic, (dying) capitalist spaces. All these thoughts led to the title of the exhibition “Venture Capitalist Strategies”, framing todays use of resources and a risk approach towards value creation, betting on futures without a certain outcome but always with consequences, sometimes severe. To me this poses the question, if those resources could have been used in a more efficient, social way. I invite you to explore the artworks installed in this space and ask me away if you want to have some background information on the artists practice.