Xanti Schawinsky: Play, Life, Illusion — a Retrospective + Schawinsky Reloaded by Monster Chetwynd

This exhibition is the first retrospective dedicated to Xanti Schawinsky (b. 1904, Basel – d. 1979, Locarno) outside of Switzerland. Inspired by the spirits of Bauhaus, where the artist studied in the 1920s, and Black Mountain College, where he taught in the 1930s, Schawinsky’s body of work is distinguished by its multidisciplinary dimension. Staging, set design, photography, graphic design, painting, and even typography are just some of the fields the artist explored during his sixty year career. The exhibition navigates the entirety of the artist’s career, from his first works, animated by questions of scenic space and the relationship between man and machine, up until his process-based paintings from the 1950s and 1960s. The exhibition will include a large-scale installation by Monster Chetwynd (b. 1973, London), created in response to Schawinsky’s oeuvre.

Biographies.

The work of Xanti Schawinsky (b. 1904, Basel – d. 1979, Locarno) has been presented in solo exhibitions at the Museo Casa Rusca, Locarno (2023); Bergen Kunsthall, Bergen (2016); Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst, Zurich (2015); Drawing Center, New York (2014); Bauhaus-Archiv, Berlin (1986); Galleria Comunale d’Arte Moderna, Bologna (1975); Landesmuseum, Wiesbaden (1963) and Berkshire Museum, Pittsfield (1954), amongst others. Schawinsky’s work can be found in the collections of many institutions, including the Drawing Center, New York; J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles; Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst, Zurich; Museum of Modern Art, New York; MASILugano, Lugano and Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia.

Monster Chetwynd (b. 1973, London) has held solo exhibitions at the Schirn Kunsthalle, Frankfurt (2023); Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst, Zurich (2022); Konsthall C, Stockholm (2021); De Pont museum, Tilburg (2019); Villa Arson, Nice (2019); Tate Britain, London (2018); CCA Centre for Contemporary Art, Glasgow (2016); Bonner Kunstverein, Bonn (2016); Nottingham Contemporary, Nottingham (2014) and Le Consortium, Dijon (2008). Her work was also presented at the 16th Istanbul Biennial (2019); Liverpool Biennial (2016) and the 3rd Thessaloniki Biennale of Contemporary Art (2011). Monster Chetwynd lives and works in Zurich.