2021 Demeurer dans les arbres, solo show, La Ferme de la Chapelle
Salon de l’estampe contemporaine, collective exhibition, Musée du Papier Peint
2019 La nef des fous, duo exhibition with Guy Oberson and Benoît Huot, Galerie C, Neuchâtel, Suisse
Passion, Bilder von der Jagd, collective exhibition, Musée des beaux-arts des Grisons, Coire, Suisse
L’Arbre, c’est le temps rendu visible, collective exhibition, Galerie Capazza, Nancay
Orbis Terrae, collective exhibition, Domus Poetica, Bellinzona, Suisse
2018 Naked clothes, solo show, Musée des beaux-arts, Le Locle, Switzerland
Art Paris, Fair with Galerie C, Grand Palais, Paris
Matière II, collective exhibition, Château de Cormondrèche, Suisse
Ame qui vive, collective exhibition, Galerue Catherine Niederhauser, Lausanne, Suisse
Somium, collective exhibition, Domus Poetica, Bellinzone, Suisse
Densité d’une absence, solo show, Fondation Eduard Vallet, Vercorin, Suisse
2017 Je ne peux fermer les yeux, solo show, Galerie de l'Etrave, Espace d'art contemporain, Thonon-les-Bains, France
Grand trouble, collective exhibition, La Halle Saint Pierre, Paris, France
73e Biennale d'art contemporain, collective exhibition, Musée des beaux-arts, La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland
Chambre avec vue d'artistes, collective exhibition, Musée du papier peint, Mézières / FR, Switzerland
Solus, collective exhibition, Domus Poetica, Espace Culturel, Bellinzone, Switzerland
Drawing Now, collective exhibition, Le Carreau du Temple, Paris, France
Chutes et Floraison, solo show, Galerie Contrecontre, St-Maurice, Switzerland
2016 Eaux lointaines, solo show, Galartis / Galerie du Rhône, Sion, Switzerland
Drawing Now, collective exhibition, Paris, France
Zones Poreuses, white card to Guy Oberson, collective exhibition, Galerie C, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
72e Biennal of contemporary Art, collective exhibition, Musée des beaux-arts, La Chaud-de-Fond, Switzerland
Dons majeurs du Fonds Maximilien de Meuron 1916-2016, collective exhibition, Musée d'art et d'histoire, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
Credo, Galerie Vincent Sator, Paris, France
Maximilien de Meuron, du rêve à l'utopie, collective exhibition, Galerie C, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
2015 Erreur de Paradis, solo show, Musée d'art et d'histoire de Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
Semblance, Espace du Méjan, solo exhibition, Arles, France
Jäger & Sammler, collective exhibition, Villa Merkel, Esslingen, Germany
Map of the New Art, Luciano Benetton Collection, collective exhibition, Fondazione Giorgio Cini, Venise, Italy
2014 Terrestres, Galerie Eric Mouchet, solo exhibition, Paris, France
Jäger & Sammler, collective exhibition, Museum Morsbroich, Leverkusen, Germany
La Vengeance de Mathilde, collective exhibition, Galerie C, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
Drawing Now, with Galerie C, Paris, France
Piano Sketching, Performance with E. Ferlet and E. Fessenmeyer, Belleville and Châtelet theaters, Paris, France
2013 Terrestres, solo exhibition, Musée de Charmey, Charmey, Switzerland
Black out, collective exhibition, Galerie Jordan/Seydoux, Berlin, Germany
Portraits, collective exhibition, Galerie C, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
Drawing Now, with Galerie C, Paris
2012 Perf O, Performance and solo exhibition, Galerie C, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
Endless Walls, Infinity Sky, performance and solo exhibition, Galerie d'(A), Lausanne, Switzerland
La terre nous est étroite, Performance, Studio Edmund Alleyn, Montréal, Canada
Sous-verre, collective exhibition, Vitromusée, Romont, Switzerland
Le paysage dans tous ces états, collective exhibition, Musée de Charmey, Charmey, Switzerland
Would The Christ Have Been Gay, collective exhibition, Galerie C, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
XXL-XXS, collective exhibition, Galerie C, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
2011 Artist residency, grant from the Freiburg state, Berlin, Germany
Guy Oberson, Malerei, Uferhalle, solo exhibition, Berlin, Germany
Born, collective exhibition, Galerie C, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
Enigmatics Fantasies, Galerie Altro Mondo, collective exhibition, Manila, The Philippines
Cri, collective exhibition, Galerie C, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
Shanghai Contemporary 2011, with the galerie Altro Mondo, Fair, Shanghai, China
10 ans, Flashback, Galerie Polad-Hardouin, collective exhibition, Paris,
2010 Ciels de cendre, Galerie Fallet, solo exhibition, Geneva, Switzerland
Horizons incertains, Galerie des Amis des Arts, solo exhibition, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
Elévation(s), Guy Oberson and Christian Egger, Fondation Grand-Cachot-de-Vent, solo exhibition, La Chaux-du-Milieux, Switzerland
Notre besoin de consolation est impossible à rassasier, Nouveau Monde, Theater, director C. Egger, painting-performance, Fribourg, Switzerland
Guy Oberson, Galerie Artesol, solo exhibition, Soleure, Switzerland
Antoni Tàpies accompagné, Galerie Courant d'art, collective exhibition, Chévenez, Switzerland
2009 Morsures de lumière, Galerie Polad-Hardouin, solo exhibition, Paris, France
Artistes fribourgeois contemporains, Musée d'art et d'histoire de Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
Murmures, Galerie de l'Hôtel de Ville, collective exhibition, Yverdon, Switzerland
2008 Salon du dessin contemporain, avec la galerie Polad-Hardouin, expositions et performance, Paris, France
Traits d'union, Galerie ô quai des arts, collective exhibition, Vevey, Switzerland
Abella - Balkert - Oberson, Galerie Jean-Jacques Hofstetter, collective exhibition, Fribourg, Switzerland
2007 Intranquille amour, Galerie Polad-Hardouin, collective exhibition, Paris, France
Salon du dessin contemporain, avec la galerie Polad-Hardouin, Paris, France
Au delà du corps, Biennale d'art contemporain, Aix-sur-Vienne, France
A fleur de peau, Galerie Fallet, solo exhibition, Genève, Switzerland
La part d'ombre, Galerie Idées d'artistes, collective exhibition, Paris, France
Oberson- Oulevay, Galerie des Amis des Arts, solo exhibition, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
2006 L'œuvre au noir, Galerie Idées d'artistes, solo exhibition, Paris, France
De craie et de chaux vive, Galerie Selz art contemporain, solo exhibition, Perrefitte, Switzerland
Traces, Galerie Fallet, collective exhibition, Geneva, Switzerland
2005 Connecté, Nouveau monde, Theater, directed by C. Egger, painting-performance, Fribourg, Switzerland
Jardin d'artiste, Festival of Science and city, Jardin botanique, intervention in situ, Fribourg, Switzerland
Oberson- Vasquez, Galerie Ferme du désert, solo exhibition, Lausanne, Switzerland
2004 Fragments d'artistes, de L. Arickx à Vélickovic, Galerie Idées d'artistes, collective exhibition, Paris, France
Guy Oberson, Galerie Nelly L'Eplattenier, solo exhibition, Lausanne, Switzerland
Oberson - Moser, Galerie Jean-Jacques Hofstetter, solo exhibition, Fribourg, Switzerland
2002 Légère intrusion, Bookstore-Gallery, Du côté de chez Swann, solo exhibition, Zurich, Switzerland
Guy Oberson, Galerie Grande Fontaine, solo exhibition, Sion, Switzerland
Terres éphémères, Comptoir Suisse, sculpture happening, Lausanne, Switzerland
2001 Guy Oberson, Galerie Jean-Jacques Hofstetter, solo exhibition, Fribourg, Switzerland
Guy Oberson, Galerie du Château, solo exhibition, Avenches, Switzerland
2000 Guy Oberson, Galerie La Schürra, solo exhibition, Pierrafortscha, Switzerland
1999 Concours Transfrontalier d'Art Plastique1999, Mairie de Divonne-les-Bains, Divonne-les-Bains, France
1998 Noir de fumée et blanc plâtre, Galerie la Tour, solo exhibition, La Tour-de-Trême, Switzerland
1997 Guy Oberson, Galerie Côté Cour, solo exhibition, Rolle, Switzerland
1996 Guy Oberson, Galerie Tzanzero, solo exhibition, Payerne, Switzerland
1991 Salon d'hiver, Galerie de la Ratière, collective exhibition, Romont, Switzerland
1988 Forum of the young Swiss Romandie Painting, Galerie de la Ratière, collective exhibition, Romont, Switzerland
Monographies and catalogues
« Passion. Bilder von der jagd », Peter Egloff et Setfan Kunz, Musée d’art des Grisons de Coire. Edition Schneidegger & Spiess AG, Zürich, 2019
« GRAND TROUBLE », Catalogue of the Halle Saint Pierre collective exhibition, Editions "Les cahiers dessinés", Paris, 2017
« GUY OBERSON, JE NE PEUX FERMER LES YEUX », text from Philippe Piguet, Analogues, Revue hebdomadaire pour l'art contemporain, no.409, Arles, France, 2017
« ZONES POREUSES, CARTE BLANCHE À GUY OBERSON », text from C. Egger, A. Nessi, G. Oberson, D. Sagardoyburu, Neuchâtel, 2016
« GUY OBERSON - SOUS LA PEAU DU MONDE », monography, texts from Alain Berset, Nancy Huston and Philippe Piguet, Editions Till Schaap Genoud, Bern, 2015
« GUY OBERSON - ERREUR DE PARADIS », Catalogue, texts from Mélanie Roh and Victor Stoichita, Musée d'art et d'histoire from Fribourg, Fribourg, 2015
« JAEGGER & SAMMLER IN DER ZEITGENOESISCHEN KUNST », Text von F. Emslander, Wienand Verlag, Köln, 2014
« GUY OBERSON, MORSURES DE LUMIÈRE, PAYSAGES ET PORTRAITS », catalogue, texts de P. Javnovjak, D. Polad-Hardouin et C. Schuster-Cordone, galerie Polad-Hardouin, Paris, 2009, réimpression, Fribourg, 2011
« AZART 10 ANS, 280 RENCONTRES INSOLITES DE PEINTRES DU XXI SIÈCLES », Editions Azart, Paris, 2011
« INTRANQUILLE AMOUR », catalogue, textes de E. Couturier, J.-M. Hirt, M. Mine et D. Polad-Hardouin, galerie Polad-Hardouin, Paris, 2007
« AU DELÀ DU CORPS », 4ème biennale d'art contemporain, Aixe-sur-Vienne, Artension Hors-série, Lyon, 2007
« GUY OBERSON, LA TENTATION DU PORTRAIT, DESSINS ET PEINTURES 2002-2004 », textes de Jacques Sterchi, Kokto kopyright éditions, Fribourg, 2004
Artist's books
« POSER NUE», text from Nancy Huston and Guy Oberson paintings, Editions du Chemin de fer, Paris, 2017
« LA FILLE POILUE », text from Nancy Huston and Guy Oberson paintings, Les Editions du Chemin de fer, Paris, 2016
« TERRESTRES, GUY OBERSON ET NANCY HUSTON », Editions Actes Sud, Arles, 2014
« LEGÈRE INTRUSION, CORRESPONDANCE », texts and drawings from Guy Oberson and Jacques Sterchi, Kokto kopyright éditions, Zurich, 2002
« GRAND OEUVRE I, II, III, IV, CORRESPONDANCE », texts and drawings from Guy Oberson and Jacques Sterchi, Kokto kopyright editions, Zurich, 2002
Read more
Born in 1960, in Billens, Switzerland
Lives and works in Lentigny (Switzerland), Paris (France) and Berlin (Germany)
Having completed various courses, notably in art restoration and socio-pedagogy, Guy Oberson has been engaged in full-time, ongoing artistic research for over twenty years. Painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, performance… his experimental work expresses his relationship with the world through lucidity, at times darkness, and poetry. Drawing, primarily in black chalk, has become his preferred medium. His exploration of disembodiment, disappearance and rebirth, decomposition and recomposition, has become a recognisable signature even in his recent works and animated pieces.
His explorations are enriched by his travels (Benin, Madagascar, Réunion, Brazil, Palestine, Alberta, China), his long-standing split between Lentigny, Berlin and Paris, his beliefs, his memory and that of the body. Guy Oberson navigates between abstraction and figuration, often blending these approaches, whilst always placing at the centre the pursuit of tension, the summoning of a flow of energy and an evocative force, revealing and laying bare the fundamental gesture.
In recent years, themes such as the transformation of our relationship with nature, the tragedies of migration, interdependence and the complex relationship between humans and nature have become even more deeply embedded in his work. He has developed the animation of engravings and black chalk drawings, thereby evoking a new form of intensity that blends slowness with visual aesthetics. Drawing takes on new dimensions and unusual scales, becoming part of immersive installations. The scope of his exhibitions broadens, enabling Guy Oberson to expand his experimental remit. Through his site-specific installations—which generally combine drawings, animations, sculptures and sound—he plays with spaces, dimensional relationships and rhythms, creating contemplative and ontological scenographies.
The video installation entitled Pollen presents a poetic account of the relationship and interaction between humans and other species, here principally trees and bees.
In a climate of major ecological turmoil, this narrative attempts without complacency to deliver a breath of fresh air to a story that unfolds cyclically.
To learn more about this project, click here