Energies is an international group exhibition that takes its starting point from a little-known piece of radical East Village history around a 1973 community wind turbine project that changed energy regulations nationwide forever. Hosted throughout the Swiss Institute’s building as well as in various nearby locations including community gardens, environmental organizations, and the site of the original wind turbine itself, this project sends metaphoric electric impulses through the neighborhood. Presenting the wind turbine archive and influential historic artworks alongside contemporary artists and new commissions, the exhibition explores artistic perspectives on the role of energy in today’s ecological, social, and political climate, while celebrating the power of community. Works examine and intervene in the architecture at Swiss Institute to draw attention to the typically invisible infrastructures and processes that power the institution, including long-term changes such as solar-powered lights, and other architectural interventions that address the built and surrounding natural environment.

Stefanie Hessler, director of the Swiss Institute (SI), is a curator, writer, and institutional leader. She was previously the director of the Kunsthall Trondheim (2019–22) where she curated critically acclaimed solo exhibitions by Frida Orupabo, Diana Policarpo, and Jenna Sutela. She coled the large-scale research-based exhibition Sex Ecologies with all new commissioned works by nine international artists, and edited the accompanying compendium on queer ecologies, sexuality, and care in more-than-human worlds (MIT Press, 2021). She initiated innovative institutional collaborations, created new staff positions to reach diverse audiences, and launched long-term public programs for marginalized communities. Hessler has curated exhibitions, biennales, and symposia around the world, from Kochi to Athens, Colombia to Singapore. At SI, she is transforming the institution and leading a 15-member coalition of nonprofit organizations working towards climate action.

Alison Coplan is chief curator at Swiss Institute (SI), where she organizes exhibitions and programs, and oversees publications. At SI, she has curated projects with artists including Raven Chacon, Shen Xin, Alia Farid, and Hans Haacke, among many others. She has additionally organized over 150 public programs with artists and thinkers. In 2017, she served as the cross-institutional festival organizer for the 13-venue, New York City iteration of Ugo Rondinone: I ︎<3 John Giorno, and in 2019, she worked together with the Getty Research Institute to present at SI. She holds a master of arts in art history, critical and curatorial studies from Columbia University.

KJ Abudu is assistant curator at the Swiss Institute, and works between New York, London, and Lagos. Informed by anti/post/decolonial theory, queer theory, African philosophy, and Black radical thought, his writings and exhibitions focus on critical art and intellectual practices from the Global South (particularly Africa and its diasporas) responding to the world-historical conditions produced by colonial modernity. Abudu holds a master’s degree in modern and contemporary art, critical and curatorial studies, from Columbia University and a bachelor’s degree from Duke University where he studied philosophy and political science. He was also a 2022–23 Helena Rubinstein Curatorial Fellow at the Whitney Independent Study Program.

Swiss Institute (SI) is an independent nonprofit art space in New York dedicated to promoting forward-thinking and experimental art making. Since 1986, SI has been known for its thoughtful exhibitions, dedication to artists, and wide range of public programs. Committed to the highest standards of curatorial and educational excellence, SI serves as a platform for emerging artists, catalyzes new contexts for celebrated work, and fosters appreciation for under-recognized positions. SI is open to the public free-of-charge five days a week, and is committed to being a diverse, equitable, and environmentally conscious organization that is accessible in its work, structure, and programming. In 2022, SI embarked on an institutional imperative of integrating climate action into all facets of the institution. These developments range from pragmatic changes that will reduce the organization’s carbon footprint and to center the vital visions of artists in tandem with demonstrable steps toward social and environmental justice.