ARCHIVE
ARCHIVE
This page serves as an archive of past projects that NOA contemporary artists have been able to realise.
AATB
Beijing Art and Technology Biennale
Curated by Fei Jun and Naiyi Wang
with more than 50 artists
Group Show
Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen
Until May 2025 in Beijing, then further cities later this year
Beijing Art and Technology Biennale BATB got extended until May 2025, and will travel to Shanghai and Shenzhen later this year.
AATB is showing a new, large scale version of “A Particular Score”. As the sculpture detects secondary particles created from cosmic rays hitting the atmosphere, it responds by striking one of sixteen quartz crystal tubes. The unpredictable sequence of audible tones offers a perceptible glimpse into the invisible cosmic flux that continuously bathes our surroundings.
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A Particular Score was originally commissioned by Bienal de Arte Contemporânea da Maia, Portugal, in 2019, and was reworked for the Cosmos at CID au Grand-Hornu exhibition in Belgium in 2021. The circular version was inspired by our Arts at Cern at CERN residency in 2023 and was shown atMudac Lausanne, Switzerland, as part of the Space is the Place exhibition held the same year. For Beijing Art and Technology Biennale a new, larger scale version was produced. The exhibition was supported by Pro Helvetia.
With its theme Earthwise, this edition is curated by Fei Jun and Naiyi Wang with academic advisors Adrian Notz and Philipp Ziegler, and invites 50 artists and scientists from around the globe to reconsider multiple forms of intelligence, animals, plants, machines, planetary intelligence, etc.
Text by: AATB
©BATB
Woman standing inside a modern building with a large angled window, concrete walls, and a circular ceiling light fixture.
Close-up view of a modern, minimalist light fixture with an elongated, curved metal frame and transparent glass tube lights, mounted on a ceiling in a sleek, contemporary interior.
Simon Berger
Solo exhibition
in collaboration with
Cris Contini Contemporary
Solo Exhibition
Church of the Artists, Rome, Italy
4 April — 4 May 2025
The London-based gallery Cris Contini Contemporary is pleased to announce the upcoming exhibition by Simon Berger, “Between Mother and Son”, on view from April 4 to May 4, 2025, at the Church of the Artists in Rome — a place steeped in history and art.
Organized on the occasion of the Twenty-Fifth Ordinary Jubilee of the Catholic Church and curated by Pasquale Lettieri and Sandra Sanson, the exhibition offers an emotional journey into the symbolic and visual universe of one of the most innovative artists on the contemporary art scene.
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The opening event will be held on Friday, April 4, at 5:00 PM, in the presence of distinguished guests, including Bishop Antonio Staglianó, Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, Fulvio Granocchia, Cristian Contini, and the two curators. The evening will feature a musical performance by a pianist and a soprano, with a presentation by Paola Zanoni.
At the heart of the exhibition, coordinated by Project Manager Sara Galardi, are two monumental works, Virgin Mary and Christ, both created in 2023. These extraordinary 200 x 200 cm pieces, made of wood and laminated safety glass, depict the faces of the Virgin Mother and Christ.
Simon Berger’s artistic expression delves into a profound reflection on the perception of reality and the symbolic power of images. Regarding the exhibition’s theme, Bishop Staglianó provides a crucial interpretative key:
"What exists ‘between’ Mother and Son? Generativity, this powerful reality that allows the other to exist through love. The artistic gesture proposed here seeks to educate the gaze toward the profound reality present in every authentic human relationship. Without generativity, everything is false—mere fiction, simulation. Beyond and within the masks we wear, we must learn to ‘perceive faces.’ This requires an openness of the heart, a purification of the eyes to receive a new light. The faces of Mary and Christ are this light—piercing through the cracks of a society reluctant to generate through love, yet eager to produce hallucinating simulations."
This reflection aligns perfectly with Berger’s artistic approach, where his innovative technique transforms glass into a portal to the depths of human existence. Every crack and fracture in the glass becomes a window into the soul, challenging the viewer’s perception and understanding of reality.
The monumental works Virgin Mary and Christ find a natural setting in the Church of the Artists, a historic venue that has long been a meeting point for art, spirituality, and contemplation. Berger’s deep aesthetic and conceptual exploration seamlessly merges with the sacred and inspiring atmosphere of this space.
The two works are presented in a site-specific and immersive installation. The self-supporting glass panels are arranged in such a way that they create a pathway, guiding the viewer through a labyrinth of fragmented images—only fully recognizable when seen in their overlapping perspective. This visual interplay invites reflection on the process of perception, encouraging the mind to reconstruct meanings and reassemble images while moving through the space.
The experience is enriched by the transparency of the material, which interacts with light and depth, allowing for multiple, layered interpretations. The cracks and breaks in the glass are not merely aesthetic elements but a visual language that conveys both fragility and strength. As Sandrine Welte observes in her text dedicated to the artist, Berger’s work transcends conventional “beauty” to embrace the sublime, transforming destruction into an act of profound and meaningful creation.
In 2023, these works were presented at the Civic Museum of Sansepolcro in the exhibition “The Doors of Perception”, which received widespread acclaim for its ability to challenge traditional visual perception. Now, with "Tra Madre e Figlio", Simon Berger takes this exploration even further, delving into the relationship between mother and son as a symbol of creation and revelation, and into the deeper realms of human thought.
Art critic Pasquale Lettieri emphasizes that Berger’s work transcends the boundaries between the material and the immaterial, giving life to artworks that not only challenge vision but also provoke a deeper perception of existence. Berger’s pieces are not merely to be seen—they must be felt, experienced, and understood through an intimate and profound interaction with the audience.
Opening Hours:
Monday to Friday: 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Sunday: 11:30 AM – 1:30 PMThe exhibition will be held at the Church of the Artists, Piazza del Popolo, 18, 00187 Rome.
©Anna Toffanello
Interior of a church with an art installation in the center, featuring a face outline made of interconnected white lines on black panels, in front of an ornate altar with religious paintings and sculptures.
Interior of a church with a high domed ceiling, ornate decorations, wooden pews, and people gathering near the back. There is an art installation in the center with a black panel and a shattered glass effect.
A cracked glass art installation displayed inside a historic church with ornate ceiling and Latin inscriptions on the wall.
Jakup Ferri
Art Explora
Cité International des Arts
Residency
Paris, France
3 March — 29 May 2025
Launched in 2021, programme gives artists from all over the world the opportunity to develop their research and creative work in the heart of Paris, in liaison with the French artistic and professional scene. It encourages creation in all its forms, while facilitating its dissemination to the widest possible audience. Residents' work focuses on themes of scientific and technological exploration, and tackles the major social and environmental issues of our time.
Some twenty artists are selected each year by an international selection committee.
For his project “Tintirinti”, Jakup Ferri will continue with his research into the various textile techniques, including tapestry, handmade carpets, and diverse forms of hand embroidery. These methods have significantly influenced his creative practice. He deeply values the authenticity, craftsmanship, and unpolished character of handmade textiles. For the last decade, his research has spanned across textile histories from regions such as Burkina Faso, Ghana, Senegal, Haiti, Suriname, Turkey, and the Balkans. This exploration has enriched his understanding of the cultural and historical significance of textile art, informing into his own creative vision.
Patric Sandri
Solo exhibition
in collaboration with
Agence DS
Solo Exhibition
Paris
3 April 2025
Agence DS is delighted to announce the arrival of Patric Sandri in the DS line-up. It's a bold addition that marks a turning point in their programming, exploring new artistic territories while remaining true to our commitment to innovation and uniqueness.
To celebrate the new collaboration, a private event and exhibition will take place in presence of the artist.
Minimalist living room with white sofa, textured ottomans, black side tables, wooden floor, and geometric wall art.
A room with white walls and hardwood flooring, large windows, and a white textured ottoman.
Modern living room with a white rounded sofa, a small black side table, and a textured white pouf. Abstract white wall art with pink lighting accents decorates the wall, and the flooring is light wood.
Minimalist white wall with a white marble fireplace and two pastel abstract paintings, one pink and yellow, the other gray, arranged above the fireplace.
Two abstract art pieces featuring pastel colors and grid-like designs hanging on a white wall.
Simon Berger
Performance
In collaboration with
Agence DS
Association Antoine Alléno, Le Trianon, Paris
11 March 2025
Simon Berger performed at this year’s „Fragiles” charity event organised by the Association Antoine Alléno on the stage of Le Trianon in Paris. The artist created a portrait of Antoine Alléno, the patron of the foundation with the same name. This foundation is dedicated to preventing violence against young people, raises awareness and provides support to families who have lost loved ones under 25. Through prevention initiatives, public outreach, and concrete aid programs, the foundation is making a significant impact in the fight against senseless violence.
A performer kneeling on stage in a theater, illuminated by a spotlight, with an audience watching in the dark.
A man kneeling on a stage, wearing headphones and glasses, looking at a device in his hands, with names 'Jules Letranger' and 'Guillaume Mill' and the word 'Tromboniste' displayed in the background.
Performer kneeling on a stage creating art with a light, in a theater with an audience watching.
Audience watching a stage with a large screen displaying the word 'fragile' in white letters.
Franziska Stünkel
Im Dialog
With Walter Vogel
Leica Gallery
Duo Show
Leica Gallery, Frankfurt
15 January — 29 March, 2025
The exhibition presents a unique dialogue between two outstanding photographic positions: Walter Vogel and Franziska Stünkel. Their works, separated by decades, encounter each other in a fascinating interplay of time, space and artistic perspective.
The exhibition is the first in a cycle of 12 exhibitions worldwide to mark the 100th anniversary of Leica photography.
Text by: Leica Gallery, Translated by NOA contemporary
Emanuel Heim
Flower Power — Heilende Pflanzen
In collaboration with
Agence DS and Loeve&CO
Group Exhibition
2 May 2024 — March 2025
Art and health belong together. The latest exhibition at the Graubünden Cantonal Hospital in Chur shows that professional art can create a pleasurable interplay with different areas of a hospital. "Flower Power - Healing Plants" showcases all four KSGR sites with works of art relating to the world of plants and links the exhibition with various hospital areas: Kitchen, Nutrition, Garden, Nursing and Medicine. Patients, staff and visitors are warmly welcome.
Translated by NOA contemporary.
Piet Baumgartner
Bagger Drama
Award
Best Director & Best Screenplay 46th Max Ophüls Prize Film Festival
In San Sebastian Piet Baumgartner received an award for this film - now BAGGER DRAMA will be shown for the first time in Germany and Switzerland:
60TH SOLOTHURN FILM FESTIVAL
46TH FILMFESTIVAL MAX OPHÜLS PREIS
BAGGER DRAMA starring Bettina Stucky, Phil Hayes and Vincent Furrer, produced by Karin Koch/Dschoint Ventschr, camera by Pascal Reinmann, edited by Tania Stöcklin, music by Rio Wolta.
In Swiss cinemas from May 1, 2025.
Three people standing outdoors in a rural area with fields and trees in the background.
Emanuel Heim
Anthropologisches Leben im Ultraschall
With Yannick Pfeifer, Lisa Rost, Fabian Schramek, Dieter Arnold and Emanuel Heim
Curated by Yannick Pfeifer
In collaboration with
Kunstverein Familie Montez
Group Exhibition
Frankfurt am Main, Germany
17 January — 16 February 2025
From 17 January to 16 February 2024, the Kunstverein Familie Montez is showing an exhibition curated by Yannick Pfeifer. The exhibition focuses on the conflict between humans and nature and the alienation from the natural processes that surround us. Yannick Pfeifer, Lisa Rost and Emanuel Heim jointly present their works, which inspire a profound reflection on the beauty and suffering in the natural world. The exhibition is complemented by an atmospheric sound installation by Fabian Schramek and Dieter Arnold, which acoustically reinforces the theme. Visitors are invited to reflect on the role of human beings and the dignity of animals and to come to terms with the increasingly visible alienation from nature.
Text by: Yannick Pfeifer, translated by NOA contemporary
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ALU
Anthropological suffering in ultrasound
I. Introduction
This is a story about our world, the naturalness that lies in things and the beauty that is inherent in them. A portrayal of how human beings lose interest in natural processes, even though they should love them, have loved them, and yet keep trying to escape from them. This exhibition deals with the conflict between human beings and nature.
II. How easily and naturally this fairytale world is created The Charolais is beautiful. When I look into the faces of a herd, such euphoria rises in me that the world stands still for a moment. Their many shapes have a psychedelic effect while I maintain eye contact. As I slowly walk past, I am haunted by their unchanging expressions, their rigid demeanour, while their bodies stand still in various poses. (I think) Through their gazes I feel a part of my soul, their eyes pierce straight to the core. Alongside Limousin cattle, Charolais is one of the most common cattle in France's vast pastures. Their abundance is not due to their aesthetics, of course not. They are one of France's best meat breeds. Their meat is tender, impresses with its regular marbling and is also very lean with a fat content of only 3%. When I stand in a pasture, in endless expanses of green, adorned with Charolais, I believe that this is not just a stirring of emotions, but that it is the real, true and right life.
III. The dignity of the animal can be touched
Snails slither from an English-mown grass verge over kerbs and tarmac, over to the trimmed box tree, reliably fought with snail pellets or drowned in beer. Foxes scurry through their new urban biotope. In their ecological niche with shorter distances in search of food. Driven by the noise of our streets. They turn from hunters to gatherers, our waste feeds them. The population of furred game is dependent on our hunting. We don't just kill out of lust and trophy greed, it has to be done so that the few that are left can survive. Our main roads and motorways run through their natural habitat. We build fences and put up warning signs to protect them from us.
IV. Frankfurt pigeons
The cities we live in are comfortable and continue to be built for the benefit of human beings. We poke the stucco of the centuries so that it doesn't get shat on. We hang nets over our most beautiful areas so that the rats of the air don't bother us. Not so that they get caught in them and die. We domesticated pigeons centuries ago, they have adapted to the territory of human beings. They are only viable because of us, without us they are no longer viable. We no longer poke our perches against human beings. We make them artificial, swing them and build armrests into them so that nobody can sleep there.
can sleep there. Just like the pigeons, we don't want them in our immediate vicinity, not on our park bench, not in our field of vision. The sight of them makes us too sad, even ruins an entire ambience, plus they have a strong odour and I have heard they are
are unpredictable. Inhuman seating doesn't sound nice, we call this defensive architecture.
My pieces of furniture are covered in spikes. They are made of wafer-thin aluminium plates and would collapse if someone sat on them. To prevent this from happening, they hang from the ceiling. They should be beautiful, revolve around their aesthetics and shine.
Text by: Yannick Pfeifer, translated by NOA contemporary
© Yannick Pfeifer
An art gallery with colorful paintings on the wall and sculptures on the floor, including abstract forms and hanging art pieces, under an industrial ceiling with lighting fixtures.
Colorful abstract painting of a cityscape with buildings, clouds, and a rainbow in a modern style.
Simon Berger
The Sublime Nature of Being
Curated by Ambika Hinduja Macker
in collaboration with
Cris Contini Contemporary
Group exhibition
ICD Brookfield, Dubai
15 January — 22 February 2025
For centuries, artists have been fascinated by the Sublime.
Stemming from the Latin ‘sublimus,’ meaning ‘uplifted’ or ‘high,’ the Sublime is a philosophical approach and state of mind that describes a quality of such greatness, be it spiritual, physical, aesthetic, or moral that our ability to perceive or comprehend it is temporarily overwhelmed by a sense of wonder and impermanence of the universe.
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What is the sensation we feel while interacting with nature when words fail and we find ourselves awed beyond reason? How does an artist convey the indescribable and translate the metaphysical into the material?
With her unique curatorial vision, artist Ambika Hinduja Macker, founder and creative director of the art and design firm Impeccable Imagination, explores these questions through a reimagining of her 2022 immersive art experience, The Sublime Nature of Being. In collaboration with ICD Brookfield Place, she invites viewers to engage emotionally, imaginative and sensorially, embracing the universal human experience of awe and reverence inspired by nature.
Featuring innovative works by an acclaimed roster of internationally renowned contemporary artists, this sequel celebrates the profound interplay between the elements, Water, Fire, Earth, Air, and Spirit, to bathe participants in an immersive world that transcends the physical realm.
Embark on a multi-sensory journey, where the fluid grace of water rejuvenates the soul, fire ignites passion and the strength of the earth grounds you. Feel and inhale the lightness of the air as it embodies freedom and inspiration. Allow the essence of spirit, weaving through each element, to resonate with the deepest part of your being, reminding you of the humbling purity of the cosmos and the interconnectedness of all life.
Embracing the modern interpretation of the Japanese term ‘Ukiyo,’ meaning to live in the moment, detached from the concerns of life, The Sublime Nature of Being guides the audience on a unique journey in search of a higher truth conjured through the magic of creativity. Be transported to a sanctuary of tranquil beauty, a temporary reprieve and poetic antidote to the external chaos of the present day.
Described by the curator as an ‘Alchemic Sonic Environment,’ The Sublime Nature of Being features sculptures, drawings and paintings, three dimensional installations, sound and scent, a play on time and space, contrasts of light and shadow, elemental materials and fluid forms, intertwining aesthetics and ethics, anchoring the healing power of nature at the heart of lived experience.
Text by: Impeccable Imagination
© Impeccable Imagination
A glass display case contains a fish with a crumpled paper and is surrounded by green plants inside a modern building with large windows.
An art installation displays a shattered glass window with intricate cracks illuminated from behind. To the left, two sculptures are placed on white pedestals, surrounded by large green plants inside a modern gallery with large windows showing an outdoor cityscape.
Simon Berger
Subway Car
In collaboration with
Wynwood Walls
Special project
Wynwood Walls, Miami, USA
Opening 27 November 2024
© Nika Kramer
An old subway train car parked outdoor, surrounded by colorful graffiti murals and vibrant building facades with large murals, under a clear blue sky.
A shattered mirror on a subway train with graffiti on the side panel and a red "Loop" sign above.
© Martha Cooper
Simon Berger
Monuments
In collaboration with
Underdogs Gallery
Solo show
Underdogs Gallery, Lisbon, Portugal
15 November — 28 December 2024
Underdogs presents Monuments, Simon Berger’s first exhibition in Portugal, on view from 15 November to 28 December. Through a new body of work, the renowned Swiss artist — who once dreamed of becoming an architect — pays tribute to the work and vision of some of the most prominent figures in modern and contemporary architecture, such as Jean Nouvel, Peter Zumthor, Mies van der Rohe, and Zaha Hadid, among others.
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Demonstrating his passion for this discipline, Berger uses these new works to highlight the importance of the contributions made by these pivotal figures, who revolutionised the field of architecture and who have also been a major source of inspiration for him. To mark the opening on 15 November, Simon Berger will do a live performance in the gallery space, while on 13 November, the artist will launch a signed, limited edition exploring a new technique.
Following the launch of a limited edition earlier this year dedicated to the iconic architect and urban planner Le Corbusier, this exhibition takes Simon Berger’s collaboration with Underdogs to new depths. Featuring a total of 17 works, Monuments weaves a surprising narrative about architecture, merging light, aesthetics, and functionality. Three pieces are installations composed of glass bricks, evoking the grandeur of classical structures. Through forms that rise in blocks of glass sculpted with high-pressure sandblasting, Berger offers a perspective on these celebrated architects: their legacy goes beyond the built they have left us. Monuments reflects Simon Berger’s early ambition to become an architect, which led him to train as a carpenter, a path that has shaped his entire artistic practice. Berger developed a singular technique of working glass, in which “anti-creation” – the destructive process of his tools – originates photorealistic figures. Light and fracture interact dynamically in a process the artist calls “morphogenesis”, now revealed in a new and unexpected way.
Text by: Underdogs Gallery, Lisbon, Portugal
© Mike Doorline
Art gallery with black-and-white framed portraits of people's faces on white walls and a glass block partition in the center, under industrial ceiling lights.
Piet Baumgartner
Winner: New Directors Award
Prize
San Sebastian Film Festival
December 2024
Synopsis:
A family finds it difficult to talk about feelings, love or intimacy. Hiring, selling and repairing excavators requires the attention of the family. Everyone has to pitch in. When the daughter has a fatal accident, the family idyll falls apart. The son would rather go to the USA than take over the company. The father takes a liking to the new choir director and the mother suddenly finds herself alone.
Group of people standing outdoors near construction equipment, including excavators and loaders, with some individuals talking on walkie-talkies and others observing.
Man speaking at an event, holding papers, wearing glasses and a black jacket, with a microphone, red curtains in the background.
Emanuel Heim
Ist alles eine Frage der Perspektive?
Group exhibition
Solcà Gallery, Chur
23 November 2024 — 10 January 2025
With Emanuel Heim, Fadri Cadonau, Silvie Demont, Andrea Davina Deplazes and Andrea Francesco Todisco.
© Stefan Schlumpf
Art gallery with two abstract paintings on white walls, one in the foreground with shades of blue and white, and the other in the background with green, yellow, and other colors, all on a wooden floor.
An abstract painting with various colors and swirling lines, depicting a vibrant and energetic composition on a white gallery wall.
Patric Sandri
Reflektionen
in collaboration with
Mobiliar Art Collection
Solo Exhibition
Mobiliar Art Collection, Bern Switzerland
22 February —31 December 2024
One of the focal points of our collection is the promotion of young artists. We are therefore launching a pilot project: embedded in the exhibition accompanying our art purchases, we are making the room within the room available to an artist in temporary exhibitions. Here, art acts as a platform to address socially relevant topics. Like innovation, for example. Innovation is important for the future viability of our society. Upheavals, crises and changing living conditions always offer opportunities. Innovation is needed to take advantage of these opportunities and remain resilient.
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In this context, we present the Swiss artist Patric Sandri (*1979). In his work, the artist focuses on abstract painting. In doing so, he explores the ambivalence between tradition and innovation by rethinking traditional panel painting. Paint, canvas and stretcher frame remain the same, but instead of applying the colors directly to the surfaces, he applies neon pigments to the hidden edges behind the canvas. The colors reflect through the translucent voile fabric, creating further spatial images. The creation of colors through reflections is an innovative feature of Sandri's art as well as the systematic play with infinite color combinations in his artistic process.
The boundaries between painting and sculpture blur in Patric Sandri's artistic work in an enchanting way, with not only the front of the canvas but also the back becoming an integral part of the artwork. Sandri stages the canvas as an architectural space in which he creates a relationship between image and space, between art and its surroundings. His works emphasize the contingency of perception and show that an image always depends on its medium, context and viewer.
Text by: Mobiliar Art Collection
Interior view of an art gallery with white walls displaying minimalist, abstract artwork in soft pastel colors and a brown carpeted floor.
Minimalist art gallery with soft pastel-colored abstract paintings on white walls and a small white bookshelf with a potted plant, carpeted floor, and ceiling light panels.
Three abstract, lightly tinted art panels with pastel colors, mounted on a white gallery wall.
Márta Kucsora
Liminal Spaces
Curated by Viola Lukács
Solo Exhibition
Eva Kahan Foundation, Budapest, Hungary
20 September 2024 —19 March 2025
Márta Kucsora Liminal Spaces is the opening exhibition of the Dr. Éva Kahán Foundation's new large-scale exhibition space, the Kahan Art Space Buda, in Budapest XI district Gyapot street 4. The building that houses the Kahan Art Space Buda is an emblematic work of Hungarian industrial architecture, renovated to meet the needs of today's world while preserving its original values. The Kahan Art Space Buda is the third art space of the Dr. Éva Kahán Foundation, alongside the Kahan Art Space Pest in Budapest VII district Nagy Diófa street and the Kahan Art Space Vienna in Vienna II district Große Sperlgasse.
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The Liminal Spaces exhibition presents Márta Kucsora's boundary-pushing techniques, in which she transforms painting into an exploration of spatial and digital realms. The Kahan Art Space Buda's vast interior space allows Kucsora's paintings to be an immersive visual and spatial experience, where two-dimensional art is transformed into three-dimensional form. Kucsora's monumental canvases interact with architectural elements, engaging the viewer in a play of rhythms, textures and space. Embracing contemporary technology, Márta Kucsora combines her physical paintings with digital media in a symbiosis that deepens the spatial narrative. The exhibition captures the evolution of Márta Kucsora's creative process, where performative painting techniques embody micro- and macro-universes, reflecting the complex interplay of time and space in art. Kucsora invites viewers to engage with art in a multidimensional way, challenging and inspiring them with her bold vision.
According to curator Viola Lukács, Márta emerges as a pivotal force in contemporary abstract painting in Eastern Europe. Her creations defy the limitations of traditional forms, navigating the medium with an adventurous spirit. Within the confines of a historic hangar, her monumental canvases transform spatial experience into a dialogue that engages the senses, inviting us to pause and reflect. (Her digital videos deepen this exchange, dissolving the barriers of time and perception, and guiding us into a meditative current. In this distinct, instinctual space, we shed our roles as mere spectators and become active participants in a narrative where abstraction mingles with profound encounters.)
Márta Kucsora (b. 1979, Hungary) is a contemporary artist acclaimed for her vast abstract compositions and experimental painting methods. She received her education at the Hungarian University of Fine Arts in Budapest (1997-2002) and at Montclair State University in New Jersey (2005-2006). Kucsora’s practice has garnered her institutional solo exhibitions, including "STRETCH" at Kepes Institute in Budapest (2022), “Inception” at Kunsthalle Budapest (2021), and gallery solo shows at CoBrA Gallery in Shanghai (2023), at Patricia Low Contemporary in Gstaad (2022), and Postmasters Gallery in New York (2021). Her artwork has been featured in international museums, such as 21C Museum, Arizona and the Deji Art Museum, China. Kucsora's artistic contributions delve into the interplay of materiality and perception, leading viewers into reflective and meditative experiences. Her works are included in prestigious collections, ensuring her status as a vital voice in the contemporary art world.
Viola Lukács is a Berlin-based curator and writer who uses art to unravel human and nonhuman entanglements. In 2015, she curated MetaMetria, an extensive exhibition featuring the works of sculptor and conceptual artist Bernar Venet. As digital and optical virtual technologies evolved, Viola sought new ways to connect artists, academia, museums, collectors, and corporations beyond traditional curating. She has worked with esteemed institutions such as Sotheby’s, the Venet Foundation, 0xCollection, and Postmasters Gallery in New York. Viola Lukács continues to drive innovation in the art world, bridging diverse sectors and fostering new forms of artistic expression.
Text by: Kahan Art Space
© Réka Hegyháti
Two large abstract paintings with swirling patterns and earthy tones are displayed on movable panels inside a modern art gallery with large windows.
An abstract painting with swirling patterns of blue, brown, black, and white colors in an art gallery with large windows and white walls.
Oliver Kümmerli
Studio Scholarship
Scholarship from the Canton of Zug
Studio space in Berlin, Germany
September — December 2024
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How well did you know Berlin before you went there for the residency?
I had already been to Berlin five times, mainly for art and culture. Now I see the residency as a wonderful opportunity to make new contacts and maintain existing ones.
Can you tell me something about the series of works you are currently working on in Berlin?
In Berlin, I am continuing my work series “Zwischenräume”, in which I examine the architectural development of the city. I am particularly interested in built structures and the social dynamics they trigger. I translate spaces, gaps and niches - from the positive to the negative, from the three-dimensional to the two-dimensional and from architectural models to new, strange structures. I am currently working with the cyanotype technique and experimenting with different negatives in combination with different materials.
Has Berlin unexpectedly changed your view of your own work or inspired you to do something different?
As I've only been in Berlin for a month, my working process hasn't changed fundamentally yet. At first I needed time to settle into my new studio and the city. In this first month, I travelled a lot by bike to explore Berlin. I did a lot of writing, collecting ideas and reading, especially the book Smooth City (Against Urban Perfection, Towards Collective Alternatives by René Boer), which inspired me and will certainly have an influence on my upcoming projects in Berlin.
Apart from your studio of course, what is one of your favourite places that you discovered during your stay?
I spent a lot of time in Berlin's parks - the city is incredibly green. I particularly liked the Monbijoupark in my neighbourhood. I also discovered a small bookshop called Hopscotch, which has a great selection of art books, including small editions by local artists. For good conversation, I like to go to the Zosch bar, which is just round the corner.
You've now had a few weeks to settle in. What are you most looking forward to in the coming months?
I'm looking forward to continuing to cycle through the city to explore and document the spaces in between. At the same time, I want to make the most of my time in the studio, as it always takes me a while to get into the creative flow. I'm excited to see how my work will develop over the coming months.
A young man wearing black sunglasses and a black T-shirt is working at a table with image prints, bottles of black ink, a bowl, and a brush. A light fixture is hanging above, and there is a window with curtains behind him.
Person kneeling on the floor arranging blue and white abstract art prints on brown paper in a workshop, with tools and equipment on a workbench in the background.
A person with curly hair working on digital art or design on a large computer monitor, with a laptop and art supplies on a cluttered desk.
Aramis Navarro
Residency
Residency by Instituto Svizzero
Palermo, Italy
September — December 2024
The Istituto Svizzero offers two three-month residencies in Palermo at Palazzo Butera (from September to December) addressed to artists (visual arts, design, architecture, literature, dance, theatre and music) who have proven experience in the arts or who have completed an education (Bachelor, Master or other) and researchers doctoral/postdoctoral students (social, human, natural and other sciences).
Aramis Navarro (1991) is an artist based between St. Gallen and Zurich. Through the analysis of broader linguistic models, he observes the evolution of belief systems in contemporary society. His work has been exhibited in institutions such as the Kunstmuseum St. Gallen, Kunst(Zeug)Haus, Kunsthaus Zofingen, Kutlesa Gallery, Paul Hafner Galerie, and Künstler und Projekthaus Torstrasse in Berlin, and more recently with a solo exhibition at ALTEFABRIK in Rapperswil. In Palermo, he will create a series of audio installations based on the relationship between occult spells and messages used in artificial intelligence technology.
Text by: Instituto Svizzero
Aramis Navarro
Prophetic Dreams
Group exhibition
Kutlesa Gallery, Zurich, Switzerland
16 August — 29 November 2024
I am an urge, an idea, a portent of impossible dreams.
–The Egyptian Book of the Dead
The ubiquity of dreams bridges human experience across time and place, forging a common desire for understanding. In ancient civilizations, oneiromancy, or the interpretation of dreams to foretell the future, featured prominently across regions and cultures. Numerous peoples practiced the widely-held belief that dreams were messages from gods or the dead, often arriving as ominous warnings.
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Somniale Danielis, a 5th century manual written in Latin, was a guide to decoding dreams that gained popularity in the Middle Ages, despite the Church’s stringent attempts to suppress it. Structured like a glossary, the key dream themes were alphabetically arranged, followed by a concise interpretation. The dream manual was a genre of literature that existed across all social strata in this time period, possessing a level of cultural interest and importance that transcended societal divisions.
In the 20th century, Swiss psychoanalyst Carl Jung developed his dream theory, arguing that dreams reveal more than they conceal. For Jung, dreams reflected the imagination, expressed through the most readily available language of the collective unconscious: mythic narratives. In 1913, Jung experienced a series of dreams alluding to a darkening atmosphere in Europe, an overpowering vision of the devastation to come. Yet not all prophetic dreams are foreboding: others can provide guidance, wisdom, and healing.
This group exhibition offers no manual or demystification. Instead, it urges viewers to explore the depths of their own subconscious to question the boundaries of our earthly realm and beyond, considering the nature of premonition and the interconnectedness of dreams and waking lives. The need for prophecy grows in times of great uncertainty; and in this age of scientific breakthrough and technological dominance, many mysteries nonetheless remain. It is this unknown that holds poetic, transformative potential: dreams are a phenomenon or plane with which all of us at one point or another engage—deeply personal, yet profoundly interconnected.
Text by: Sabrina Tamar
Jakup Ferri
Reversed Object
Group exhibition
Ludwig Múzeum, Budapest, Hungary
6 September — 24 November 2024
The exhibition Reversed Objects raises a number of questions ranging from the status of objects as either mere things or artworks to the functioning of art institutions, while touching on various themes and disciplines. Some of these questions may sound rather banal. American art philosopher Arthur C. Danto analyses the following problem: if one enters a room full of objects, can one tell at a glance which are works of art and which are mere real things? Danto argues that even if we do not necessarily have a precise definition of what art is, we are able to tell artworks from everyday objects.
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The exhibition Reversed Objects explores the reasons for the presence, and the various meanings, of traditional craft techniques, which have become increasingly prevalent in contemporary art over the last 10–15 years. This change in the concept of art seems to have been brought about not only by the transformation of artistic practices, but also by a rethinking of the principles of the institutional system. Artists are constantly discovering and appropriating new techniques and processes for themselves, incorporating the contextual content of these into the meaning of their work. Of course, for a very long time now, not only works created using the techniques of painting and sculpture are considered fine art, nor is a degree in art a criterion for someone to be considered an artist. Even so, certain techniques, processes and methods are still considered marginal within visual art, even though the creation of an artwork has long ceased to be associated with the artist’s manual labour.
The somewhat mythical and romanticised idea of “the artist’s handprint”, despite the emergence of craft techniques, is not motivated by a desire to revert the artist’s own situation or the perception of the artist to a bygone era. When visual artists turn to these techniques and methods, they are not always seeking to completely eradicate the prevailing canonical system of the day, but rather to reinterpret existing concepts and practices and examine their present-day usefulness. The artist, by virtue of his or her position, is capable of – even indirectly – rejecting existing frameworks and boundaries in a kind of “epistemic disobedience” (Walter Mignolo).
The institutional system and the artistic canon, for its part, reacts to the specificities of contemporary artistic production, to the ever-new and ever-changing means of expression, while also constantly rethinking its own scientific and epistemological boundaries. The latter can currently be witnessed in the separation of collections of art, ethnography and, to some extent, applied art. However, this Eurocentric approach to the current concept of art and its institutional structure is increasingly difficult to reconcile with the long-standing globalism of the art world. It is precisely these ideas and the critical overriding of them that are at the heart of the so-called “decolonialisation” efforts, theoretically represented in the exhibition in the interpretative field of a local context. The exhibition’s layout reflects this institutional separation by reversing the aesthetics and logic of the display mode familiar from contemporary art exhibitions.
The title of the exhibition refers to the title of Zoltán Fejős’s book of essays, Tárgyfordítások (“Object Reversals”, 2003), “reversing” it, which is not only a tribute to Fejős’s academic work, but also a reference to the interplay between different perspectives and the different approaches of disciplines.
EXHIBITING ARTISTS
ALBERT Ádám, BAKOS Gábor, Julie BÉNA, BP. SZABÓ György, BRÜCKNER János, BUCZKÓ Bence, BUKTA Imre, Tony CRAGG, CSUTOROS Sándor, Anna DAUČÍKOVÁ, EL-HASSAN Róza, EMBER Sári, FEKETE Balázs, Jakup FERRI, GÁDOR Magda, GRÓF Ferenc, GRUPPO TÖKMAG, GYENES Zsófia, HARIS László, HARSÁNY Patrícia, HAVADTŐY Sámuel, JAKAB Tibor Perkins, JOVÁNOVICS György, KANEUJI Teppei, KEMÉNY György, KESERÜ Ilona, KINDER ALBUM, Krištof KINTERA, KIRÁLY Tamás, KOMÁR Sabrina, KOKESCH Ádám, Denisa LEHOCKÁ, LŐRINCZ Réka, Kim MACCONNEL, Goshka MACUGA, Petra MAITZ, Matthias MEGYERI, Rosalind NASHASHIBI, Anna PERACH, Grayson PERRY, Pablo PICASSO, POLGÁR Rózsa, Laure PROUVOST, PUKLUS Péter, RÁCZ Rebeka, RANDOMROUTINES, Erin M. RILEY, ROSKÓ Gábor, Selma SELMAN, Katarina ŠEVIĆ, Nedko SOLAKOV/Slava NAKOVSKA, Daniel SPOERRI, SUGÁR János, SZABÓ Eszter Ágnes, SZALAY Péter, SZILVITZKY Margit, TARR Hajnalka, THIESZ Angéla és a Retextil Alapítvány Műhely, TÓTH Márton Emil, Rosemarie TROCKEL, ULBERT Ádám, VÁRNAI Gyula, Marion VERBOOM, VESZELY Beáta, Erwin WURM
Curator: TIMÁR Katalin
Simon Berger
Glasstress 8 1/2
Curated by Umberto Croppi
In collaboration with
Berengo Studio
Group exhibition
Fondazione Berengo, Murano, Italy
19 April — November 2024
An extra edition
There is a place where the great artists of the world have passed through in recent decades to measure their creativity with a material steeped in history and seduction:glass. This place is Murano, the island in the Venetian lagoon that has made glassmaking its identity. It is on this remnant of land that their art has taken shape in a workshop that has dedicated its furnaces and the work of its masters to a single purpose, contemporary art. We are of course talking about Berengo Studio.
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A vocation that has characterised 35 years of activity, without yielding to the market, and that has characterised the studio from the outset as a partner, culturally and technically equipped to understand and realise the creations conceived by artists.
Artists who enter into a symbiotic relationship with glass masters, creating an exchange of knowledge, ideas, and manual skills, indispensable ingredients to perform the magic of transforming an inert material into the form conceived by the author.
From experience to research, through a foundation that makes its work an accumulation of knowledge available for experimentation and a tool for dissemination, the Fondazione Berengo is in fact also the organiser of events and exhibitions in important museum institutions around the world, together with their own space that houses, on site in Murano, the most significant elements of a constantly evolving production.
Moreover, for the past 16 years, this path has been accompanied by a biennial exhibition in Venice, which constitutes a moment of dynamic synthesis of the achievements of the community of artists who gather around the figure of Adriano Berengo.
To celebrate the thirty-fifth year of activity, an “extra” edition has been set up: eight and a half in fact, because it is a large exhibition that is being held in Murano, allowing visitors to understand where the works are born, to enter into direct contact with the ancient but always new experience of the transfiguration of glass into pure art. Yet in addition, a dedicated space in Venice within one of the Arsenale's 'tese', to offer visitors to the Biennale a mirror of the Murano exhibition.
An abandoned industrial space repurposed as an art installation area with broken glass and mirrors.
An art installation inside a large, abandoned industrial building with tall windows, featuring a white chandelier-like sculpture hanging from the ceiling, a cracked mirror on the floor reflecting the windows, and a wooden frame with a shattered glass panel.
A stylized graphic of the number 8 formed by glass tubing, with the word 'GLASS TESS' overlayed, and the fractions 1/2 and 1/2 in metallic style, against a black background.
Simon Berger
Révérberation
In collaboration with
Agence DS
Solo exhibition
Atelier Richelieu, Paris, France
7 November — 11 November 2024
Agence DS, Icone Gallery and NOA contemproary are delighted to announce that Simon Berger’s next solo exhibition will be held at the Atelier Richelieu from November 7 to 10. In this historic 700 m2 Parisian venue, which has hosted such emblematic events as Paris Photo and Drawing Now, Simon Berger will pay a powerful tribute to Richard Serra with monumental cylindrical sculptures. At the same time, he will devote part of his work to the Olympic Games, with striking portraits of the Olympian gods. Visitors will also be able to rediscover the female faces for which he is renowned, sublimated by the thousand fractures of his hammer. More information coming soon.
Jakup Ferri
Create/Elevate
Group exhibition
Harewood Biennale, Leeds, UK
28 June — 20 October 2024
Create/Elevate is the third Harewood Biennial, now established as the major craft Biennial of its kind outside London. Presented within Harewood House and across our gardens and landscapes, it showcases the work of international artists, designers and craft collectives, including new commissions. The exhibition explores the power of craft to surprise, inspire and bring people together and will be accompanied by a dynamic and accessible programme of learning and active public engagement.
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The historic and fine art interiors within Harewood House were created by many of the most revered craft-artists and designers in history. Create/Elevate responds to this craft heritage. Its overarching theme explores craft as a tool to connect with and learn from others, across generations and continents. The exhibition offers a playful and multi-sensory experience, featuring ceramics, textiles, jewellery, furniture, and sculptural installations.
As well as the exhibition, we’ll be hosting Make it Harewood, a programme of craft activities and events in partnership with the Crafts Council.
Exhibiting artists and makers: Arabeschi di Latte, BEIT Collective, Botanique Studios, Britto Arts Trust, Rebecca Chesney, Emefa Cole, Common Threads (Alice Kettle), Jakup Ferri, Rosa Harradine, Jan Hendzel, Mani Kambo, Hew Locke, Modular by Mensah, Temitayo Ogunbiyi, Lucia Pizzani. and Xanthe Somers.
The exhibition is curated by Ligaya Salazar and Darren Pih. Ligaya Salazar is an independent curator focused on contemporary interdisciplinary practice at the intersection of design, craft and art. She has previously curated large-scale exhibitions and festivals including for Crafts Council, Wellcome Trust, V&A, Design Museum, and the British Textile Biennial.
Darren Pih is Chief Curator & Artistic Director at Harewood House and brings over 20 years curatorial experience including initiating and delivering major touring exhibitions exploring environmental, sociological and cultural themes at Tate Liverpool.
Create/Elevate is generously supported by Arts Council England, British Council, and the Henry Moore Foundation.
Text by: Harewood Biennal
A grand stone mansion with ornate architectural details, surrounded by a manicured garden with geometric hedges, flower beds, and a fountain in the foreground, under a clear blue sky.
Colorful textile art pieces displayed on a table and wall in an ornate room with decorative molding.
Colorful embroidered textile art pieces on display, featuring various abstract and figurative designs, including a woman with a netted shirt, animals, and vibrant portraits, set against a backdrop of other textile art panels.
Colorful textile art display featuring various embroidered and woven pieces with animals, abstract designs, and vibrant patterns set in a room with ornate wallpaper and wooden floors.
Tobias Gutmann
Face-o-Mat
In collaboration with
Misk Art Institute
Solo exhibition and performance
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
1 — 2 November 2024
Patric Sandri
Sights
In collaboration with
Å+ contemporary art
Solo exhibition
Berlin, Germany
28 September — 12 October 2024
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To see: to dance with the prepositions.
Adapt yourself to their movement.
If they want to stay where they are, let them stay: behind, in front, above, below.
If you try to force them into anything, something will break.
Get rid of explanations. Every time you explain something, you risk destroying it.
That’s how explanations have always worked and will always work.
Like forest machines.
To see: someone something calls out to you and you call back.
To see: to be touched.
Time/event: when the prepositions switch places.
Don’t explain. Everything breaks.
If it breaks, you won’t be able to repair it, because you never understood it. If you broke it, let it remain broken. Maybe it will heal, but probably not. The evening star is not the morning star, and light is not particles. Once there was a fire in our eyes. Once, no word was needed for green.
Color: the thing’s gaze upon you.
Green eyes and Mary’s tears.
Don’t take the green from them.
Don’t take the yellow, the blue, or the red either, because it already belongs to someone, something.
Windows/Light: verbs.
It is never completely dark. Never completely silent.
Seven is a good number. Three is even better. Numbers are not always colorless.
Don’t explain. The explanation steals the green from the plants, the trees from the forest, the light from the sun, and the meaning from the landscape.
It removes the parts from the whole until everything becomes worthless. Then it meticulously gathers everything up in different folders and is very satisfied with itself, even though nothing has been understood. Even though everything remains unseen.
The most important thing is to learn how to see:
The walls, the prepositions, the ceiling, the sky, the sunrises, the sunsets, and the extinguished suns deep beneath our feet; the becoming (das Werden) – how the room and the light and the color and the body and the gaze and the thought happen.
Text by: Jens Soneryd
© Hagen Schürmann
Minimalist white art gallery with three framed abstract paintings featuring vertical pink, purple, and yellow lines, displayed on a white wall.
White gallery space with abstract artwork on the walls, visible through an open doorway.
Oliver Kümmerli
TIME FOR RE [FRACTION].
In collaboration with
Bad Posture
Duo exhibition with Anaïs Defago
Bad Posture, Lausanne, Switzerland
28 July — 10 October 2024
Exhibition curated by Dr. Ismene Wyss, Co-responsible for art and culture for the Mobiliar Art Collection and Curator, as well as Marlene Bürgi, Curatorial Fellow at Gebert-Foundation for Culture.
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TIME FOR RE-[FRACTION] alludes to a myriad of thoughts, which the duo-show with Anaïs Defago and Oliver Kümmerli entails: a temporal dimension (time for something), light and shadow (refracting light), and architectural elements that are fractured (fractions, fissures, buildings ripped down or apart). The title is a statement that calls for reevaluation by using the square brackets as proxy, charged with potential to rethink, remake, and reproduce.
Text by: Bad Posture
Modern art gallery with black and white photographs on wooden easels, abstract painting on white wall, pink accent lighting on exposed brick ceiling, and white concrete barriers on gray concrete floor.
Interior of an unfinished building with concrete walls, photo displays, and a partially constructed wooden barrier.
Contemporary art gallery with white walls, gray concrete floor, and exposed brick arched ceiling, displaying pink and abstract paintings, with construction materials and a black and white photograph leaning against the wall, illuminated by pink and white lighting.
Tobias Gutmann
Zuger Kunstnacht
In collaboration with
ForYouAndYourCustomers
Performance and exhibition
Zug, Switzerland
28 September 2024
They are celebrating the occasion with the opening of the 80th exhibition and a performance by artist Tobias Gutmann. Individual portrait sessions can be booked now!
Tobias Gutmann tours the international art scene with his Face-o-mat. The Swiss artist sits in this minimalist "analogue machine" and draws highly abstract portraits of interested visitors. At the same time, his digital artist twin, Sai Bot, who has learned Tobias' technique using artificial intelligence, creates another portrait.
This live performance for the 80th exhibition at foryouandyourcustomers raises exciting questions about the role of creativity in art and the influence of artificial intelligence on creative processes. By booking in advance, guests will have the opportunity to become part of this creative symbiosis between man and machine.
A man with red hair and a beard, wearing a pink shirt, smiling while reaching for colored sticks in a box. There is a glass of water and a wooden diorama on the table.
Eight abstract line drawings of faces on white paper are displayed on a wall in a row, each with unique features and accessories.
A man and a woman seated across from each other in a bright room with large windows, engaging in a conversation or assessment, separated by a small white barrier with geometric purple and green designs, with a box labeled "RAINING-MK" and a glass of water on the desk.
Person with curly hair sitting at a desk, looking at a screen displaying a purple abstract face with a question mark on a purple background. There is a smartphone on the desk and a large window in the background showing trees and buildings.
Piet Baumgartner
Solo Exhibition
In collaboration with
Mad Arts Museum
Solo exhibition
Diana Beach, Miami, USA
15 May — 18 August 2024
Simon Berger
Art Fiaci
In collaboration with
Art Fiaci and Museo di Arte Moderno
Group exhibition
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
2 May — 18 June 2024
Overhead view of people gathered around an art installation in a gallery. A person stands on a black reflective surface with a splash of white, while others observe and use their phones. The gallery has a colorful hanging textile art and a camera setup on a tripod capturing the scene.
Four people standing in front of three black and white art pieces of a woman's face on a gray gallery wall.
©BlueFrameProduction
A man crouching on the floor, using a small torch or laser to cut or examine a reflective black surface, surrounded by people with cameras and phones, indicating a media or artistic event.
Tobias Gutmann
Face-o-Mat
In collaboration with
Ithra Museum
Solo exhibition
Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
19 January — 19 March 2024
At the heart of Tobias Gutmann’s artistic practice lies the creation and investigation of encounters – between people, cultures and environments, but also between what we perceive on the outside and what we feel on the inside. Constantly aiming to enter into a flow state of creation, the act of drawing becomes a ritual in which the artist manifests and captures his encounters through his hands. The drawings always entail playfulness and curiosity, wilderness and tranquility. With his portrait performance Face-o-mat, Tobias Gutmann has met over 5000 people worldwide to draw abstract interpretations of what he sees in their faces. Rather than providing a photorealistic depiction, the artist aims to capture the sound of a person. The ever-growing archive of his drawings has developed its own language and meaning, dissolving into multiple narratives in various mediums.
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In a 2 month exhibition, Tobias Gutmann presents his Face-o-mat at Ithra. The site-specific cardboard installation serves as an environment for the three-day Face-o-mat performance, where Tobias Gutmann will be present to draw portraits of people, as well as a two-month Face-o-mat Atelier. Here, visitors will be able to experience Face-o-mat from both sides, taking on the role of painter and painted. An online archive shows the variety of drawings created, creating the narrative of how people visiting the exhibition see each other.
“Face-o-mat means looking with curious eyes, listening and breathing, until I see the person behind a face. Before the drawing begins, I wait until my preconceptions about a person start to disappear. It takes courage to look into someone's eyes, or let someone look into my eyes. It takes time to grasp the person. In everyday life we often don’t look at each other long enough to really see the person we encounter. It takes a deeper kind of seeing, to look past the façade, past visual aspects that are like a mask, covering the unique personality of each and every human being. How would our world look like if we would not only be connected globally through digital devices, but would take the time to connect through conscious, everyday face-to-face encounters?” - Tobias Gutmann
Text by Ithra Museum
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Text by Jasmine Bager, January 23, 2024
DHAHRAN: If you visited the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, or Ithra, during the Beyond Learning Conference this week, you might have seen Swiss-German artist Tobias Gutmann seated at his Face-O-Mat installation, creating abstract interpretations of strangers’ faces using ink and paper.
“With my project, Face-O-Mat, I look into people’s faces. It takes courage to look into someone’s eyes or let someone look into my eyes,” Gutmann said. “How would our world look like if we would take the time to connect through conscious everyday face-to-face encounters?”
Born in 1987 in Wewak, Papua New Guinea, to Swiss-German parents, and having moved to Switzerland at 13, the now 36-year-old Gutmann learned early on that no matter where he was in the world, he could communicate through art.
Person standing in front of a modern architectural building, smiling with arms outstretched, carrying a suitcase, and looking at the camera.
Two people at a table, engaging in a conversation, with a colorful background of green and pink abstract shapes. One is a woman with curly red hair wearing a pink shirt and orange scarf, and the other is a bald man in a gray suit with glasses.
White brick wall with colorful illustrations of palm trees and a small animal, inside a modern indoor space with a woman in black walking past.
A group of people, dressed in traditional Middle Eastern attire, gathered under a decorative arch with Arabic script and English words saying 'Welcome' and 'Fiesta.' The setting appears to be an indoor cultural or community event.
Simon Berger
Facing Grace
Curated by Sandrine Welte and Pascale Lettieri
In collaboration with
Cris Contini Contemporary
Solo exhibition
Museo Civici di Treviso Casa Robegan, Treviso, Italy
15 December 2023 — 11 February 2024
Taking inspiration from Antonio Canova‘s revolutionary artistic work for the exhibition at the Musei Civici di Treviso, Simon Berger endeavours a new take on the complex oeuvre by the Italian sculptor whose importance and value for art continues to resonate today. In consideration of the intricate link between the city of Treviso and Canova’s birthplace in Possagno, Facing Grace engages with Canova‘s unique sculptural idiom by transposing his own aesthetic research into the human form to the repertoire of mythological narrative, studied in great detail by the Neoclassical artist.
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The point of departure for the body of works presented thereby becomes Canova’s The Three Graces, an outstanding example of sculptural virtuosity in terms of composition and movement. United in their elegant posture and delicate beauty, the three goddesses are lost in an affectionate embrace as they face each other. Their peaceful balance speaks to their allegorical nature of mirth, youthful beauty and elegance as they altogether appear to exude an air of joyous lightness of being. From their physical appearance as a sculptural group of three, they are translated to a new corporeal shape in lines of cracks and creases through Simon Berger‘s ‘morphogenesis‘-technique.
Engaging with canons of beauty, the Swiss artist creates various installations that revolve around notions of the sublime, allowing for its many faces to appear. Glass, his material of choice, thereby acts as a medium to play with modes of perception, allowing for a both literal and metaphorical deconstruction and synthesis of the underlying mythological accounts. Layers of meaning are thus orchestrated into a comment on ‘facing grace‘ as his two-dimensional sculptural portraits invite a look beyond the surface in a virtual encounter with his vitreous drawings - in search of the beautiful.
Text by Sandrine Welte
An art installation featuring a transparent glass panel with an etched silhouette of a dog, surrounded by metal scaffolding in an indoor space with a wooden ceiling.
An art installation featuring two faces made of small white dots, mounted on a transparent glass panel surrounded by metal scaffolding in a dimly lit room.
An artistic portrait of a woman's face created with small golden dots on a black surface, displayed on a panel inside a room with wooden window frames and scaffolding.
Art installation of a woman's face created with small white dots on a black background, framed and surrounded by scaffolding in an indoor space.
Hinano Hayama
Things that brought me here
In collaboration with
Lechbinska Gallery
Online solo exhibition
Artsy
16 November 2023 — 16 January 2024
Hinano's creative approach, drawing from instinct and intuition, translates into vibrant and evocative artworks. She let herself carried away by the physical sensations of the moment, by fleeting emotions, discovering in the process what type of brushstroke will follow the previous one.
To maximise her productivity, Hinano adheres to a special routine, dedicating at least three hours daily to work on multiple paintings simultaneously. Her creative process commences with meditation, a reflective pause that fosters the expression of the feelings she seeks to convey through her art. The crescendo of her painting technique mirrors her emotional ascent, starting with small brushstrokes and evolving into broader ones. The result is paintings on canvas or ceramic of a lively and varied colour palette, revealing sometimes enigmatic visions, with figures emerging like faded dreams. Small-scale artworks become vessels of emotions, while larger paintings are like pages of a diary, narrating memories from her childhood, journeys, and her youth.
Text by Julia Lechbinska, Lechbinska Gallery
Emanuel Heim
Denter Perspectivas
In collaboration with
Galerie Solcà
Group exhibition
Chur, Switzerland
25 November 2023 — 5 January 2024
For the first time, Emanuel Heim’s artworks are presented in the Galerie Solcà in Chur, alongside works of Fadri Cadonau, Silvie Noemi Demont, Davina Andrea Deplazes, and Andrea Francesco Todisco.
© Daniel Rohner
White gallery wall with two colorful abstract paintings, one on the right and one visible through an open door on the left.
Colorful abstract painting with shapes and lines, leaning against a white wall, with three shovels with triangular blades in the background.
People viewing artwork inside Galerie Solca art gallery at night, with windows revealing colorful paintings and sculptures.