In 1925, Swiss-born architect Charles-Edouard Jeanneret-Gris, better known as Le Corbusier, participated in the Paris Exposition des Arts Décoratifs, a commercial trade fair intended to help promote craft and individual artistic talent. In a complete antithesis of the organizer's hopes, in Le Corbusier's own words, his Pavillon was intended "to envisage an urban housing [that] can be standardized." Even though the Pavilion caused significant uproar, its purity in both concept and execution reverberated for decades to come, largely influencing post-war housing solutions and decorating tastes. In this 2015 exhibition curated by award-winning architectural critic and creative director Felix Burrichter, Swiss Institute will present an homage to Le Corbusier's vision. Serving as a platform for new design, the second edition of Pavillon de l'Esprit Nouveau will present contemporary modes of domesticity and new ways of living today.

Felix Burrichter is a German-born, New York-based curator and creative director. He holds an MS in architecture from Columbia University and is founder, editor, and creative director of PIN–UP magazine, a biennial architecture and design publication that won the 2011 Art Director's Club America Gold Medal for Editorial Design. He has curated exhibitions at Phillips de Pury, New York (2011); Conduits Gallery, Milan (2012); Haus der Kunst, Munich (2013); and the Gallery POMO, Milan (2014).

Simon Castets is the director and curator of Swiss Institute and cofounder of 89plus, a research project that investigates the generation of artists born after the introduction of the Internet. He holds an MA in curatorial studies from Columbia University and an MA in cultural management from Sciences Po, Paris. His works include exhibitions at Palais de Tokyo, Paris; Federico Vavassori, Milan; Karma International, Zurich; Yvon Lambert, Paris; and Taka Ishii Gallery, Kyoto, among others. His writing has appeared in such publications as Mousse, PIN–UP, Artforum, Flash Art, and Kaleidoscope.

Shawn Maximo is an interdisciplinary artist working primarily in sculpture, architecture, and digital media. He is a cofounding member of the artist collaborative Yemenwed. He was the first candidate to receive dual master's degrees in architecture and engineering from Princeton University. Maximo has designed for experimental architecture firms such as Work Architecture Company and Diller Scofidio + Renfro. His work has been featured in the New York Times, Interview, DIS, and PIN­–UP, and has been exhibited at the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art, the Hessel Museum of Art, MoMA PS1, and Phillips de Pury & Company.

Swiss Institute is a nonprofit art space dedicated to promoting forward thinking and experimental art making. Founded in 1986, Swiss Institute has come to be known for presenting original and thoughtful exhibitions. Committed to the highest standards of curatorial and educational excellence, the Swiss Institute has served as a platform for emerging artists, catalyzed new contexts for celebrated work, and fostered appreciation for under-recognized positions.