Transformation

Arstübli Art & Culture, Basel, Switzerland

8 December 2022 — 1 April 2023

Various exhibitions that Simon Berger has created in the years since his first show at Artstübli in 2019 inspired him to realise this highly interactive exhibition as well as site-specific installation for the gallery's visitors. In addition to his iconic two-dimensional portraits and some of his layered glass sculptures, new approaches to his working with glass was shown. Viewers were invited to linger and decipher an artwork, made up of a seemingly random arrangement of mirror shards on the floor. Lifting the gaze up, the onlookers could see how the mirror shards reflected light, and congregated to project a portrait onto the wall. In addition, Berger chose to cover the entire floor of the gallery with sheets of glass, transforming the entire space into one of his prepared but initially untouched canvases. Throughout the exhibition, as new visitors entered the gallery, they immediately participated in the creation of this collaborative and immersive artwork. It provided a glimpse into Berger's artistic process - he usually creates the cracks in the glass with a hammer, but occasionally uses his feet to extract a different type of crack from the material. This was Berger's first installation that involved the audience so deeply in the process of creation. Challenging the common understanding that something broken is negative, and contains less value, the exhibition was It was intriguing and irritating at the same time. The artists' invitation to participate in this process was a fascinating experience for visitors, allowing them to reflect on various issues and topics Berger’s artworks are tied to.