Art First, Then the Sausage – April 10–13, 2025

The exhibition “Art First, Then the Sausage” at the Altstadthalle in Zug is now behind us – but what stays are the memories, the encounters, the laughs, and the artworks that sparked all kinds of conversations.

The venue, right in the middle of Zug’s old town, couldn’t have been better. With its rough stone walls and open layout, it gave everything room to breathe. From the start, the atmosphere was warm and open – people took time to look, to talk, to be present.

One of the highlights was definitely the harp concert by Marisol Redondo on the opening night. Her music filled the space and created a special kind of calm – a moment where everything came together.

The title “Art First, Then the Sausage” made people smile – and also think. It was a playful way of asking a deeper question: what role does art play in our fast-paced, everyday world?

Visitors were invited into a rich mix of styles and voices.
They encountered:

Masha Lobach’s radiant, colorful paintings full of fantasy and feminine power, Maria Fernanda Schulz with her surreal, pop-culture symbolism, Rosi Weiss’ bold pink sculptures, like modern totems, Nelson Francis , moving between dream and irony, Marlis Feer’s quiet, reduced color fields, Luis Scarabino and Cecile MM , capturing the world with great precision and soul, Nina P. Velasco , blending water, light, and reflection, Painting Queen Karina , who brought a swan queen in baroque dress to life, Olena Vavourakis , drawing delicate nature studies, Tamara Andjus , showing graceful, almost dreamlike female forms, Manuela Batafarano and Juliane Simon , expressing raw emotion in textured abstraction, and Angelica Bachler , turning a paprika into something iconic and strange – both object and symbol.

Saturday evening, many of us had dinner together at a nearby Argentine restaurant . Good food, good wine, lots of laughter. That meal brought people closer. There was no pressure, no competition – just stories, ideas, and the sense that we were all part of something shared.

The finissage on Sunday brought things to a quiet close. A calm, unhurried afternoon. Time to breathe out, reflect a little, and enjoy the space one last time before packing it all up.

Thanks to everyone who visited, who took time to engage, and to all the fellow artists who helped make this exhibition what it was.
And of course, a big thank-you to Painting Queen Karina and Maria Fernanda , who put so much energy into organizing this show.

It was a good weekend. Simple as that.
Full of art – and yes, also some sausage.