Hannes Schüpbach

In his early work, Swiss artist Hannes Schüpbach developed spatial choreographies in the form of extended wall pieces, and has since focused on composing luminous films that entrance with their own corporeal gesture. They enounce the image, both encompassing and enabling memory and nuanced performance, creating a distinct poetic language. His exhibition Stills and Movies, curated by Adam Szymczyk at the Kunsthalle Basel in 2009, highlighted the intimate conceptual interconnections between his installations, performances and films. Many of his pieces explore the creation of art, such as his films Erzählung (2007), L’Atelier (2007), Spin / Verso / Contour (2011), Instants (2012) and Essais (2020), as well as his large-scale installation Explosion of Words, which revolves around the oeuvre of London-based poet Stephen Watts. His films and installations have been shown at major venues internationally. The three essays in this publication offer reflections on his films through the eyes of the French poet Patrick Beurard-Valdoye, the British film curator Adam Pugh, and the British artist and writer Steven Ball. The publication was produced to accompany presentations of the artist’s films in Madrid, Vienna, Chicago and Stockholm.