ABOUT

Valentine E. Bossert is a Swiss-born visual artist with a background in philosophy and archaeology, currently based in Berlin. She specialises in drawing, sculpture, and printmaking. She predominantly works with graphite and ink on paper, as well as found materials—mediums that allow her to translate concepts into objects straightforwardly and precisely with a nostalgic and modernist aesthetic.

Starting from the immediate environment or her recollection of a specific spatial context, she focuses on the interface that exists between human beings and the surrounding world. She endeavours to create a critical archive of these encounters, particularly in sites where human meaning is immanent to the material support. For example, she has worked with the historic remains of a Roman amphitheatre in Switzerland, ancient quarries in Italy, and a former factory in Berlin. Instead of falling for their symbolic significance, she is interested in what time has transformed, what is missing and deteriorating. For her, these clues mirror a fundamental, fleeting aspect of human existence that is indescribable through language.

In the dematerialised and information-saturated postmodern society, where truths are no longer absolute, she prefers a direct, analogue, and tangible approach to reality. Her work is guided by an experimental methodology: she repeatedly describes, measures, copies, reproduces, and records her environment using methods that are often simple and inspired by archaeology—such as rubbing—in order to make matter speak for itself.

In this approach, she positions herself as an interpreter of the physical environment and a curator of what emerges spontaneously and independently from her interventions. As a result, she creates works that appear fragile and fleeting despite their durability, original yet replicable, faithful yet distinct from the original, akin to memory or DNA. Through contact and reproduction, she reveals distance, but each piece also embodies a longing for reconciliation.

Through this archive of traces, she invites the viewer to engage with their own paradoxical relation to the world and themselves: inside nature but removed from it; bound to the present but carrying history; alive but impermanent; struggling but privileged; independent but part of society; an individual but an offspring; self but other. What lies in the gap is theirs to freely decipher.

CV

*1990 in Nyon (CH) Lives and works in Berlin (DE) and Nyon (CH)

Education

2023 ·

MA Module Art & Archaeology: Contemporary Theory and Practice, UHI Orkney (UK)

2018 ·

Printmaking Proficiency, Fondazione Il Bizonte, Florence (IT)

2017 ·

 MA Modern European Philosophy, Kingston University (UK)

2015 ·

BA (Hons) Drawing, Camberwell College of Arts, University of the Arts London (UK)

2011 · 


BSc Medicine (interrupted), University of Geneva (CH)

Solo Exhibitions

2022 ·

Amphithéâtre, Roman Museum of Nyon (CH)

2021 ·

Du devenir, Eeeeh!, Nyon (CH)

2019 ·

Distant Bond, The Workshop, Berlin (DE)

2017 ·

Cogitographes, Magus & the Fool, London (UK)

Group Exhibitions

2022 ·

InDeScribe, ilali, Berlin (DE)

2021 ·

 Window Texts, Centre for Contemporary Arts, Derry (UK)
First International Festival of Manuports, Kohta, Helsinki (FI)
Chrysalis, Sementerie Artistiche, Crevalcore (IT)
Chrysalis, CA.OS, Modena (IT)

2020 ·

brouhaha, Mots Arts, Geneva (CH)

2019 ·

Fast Kotzen, Pilotenkueche, Leipzig (DE)
Unfinished Hase, Alte Handelsschule, Leipzig (DE)
2018 · OpenHaus November, ZK/U, Berlin (DE)
OpenHaus October, ZK/U, Berlin (DE)

2016 ·

Online, Perhaps?, www.perhaps.onl & The Peckham Pelican, London (UK)
Tous à la Montagne, LAC, Vevey (CH)
Paralelo Comparable, Puro Choro Galería, Xalapa (MX)

2015 ·

Drawing, perhaps?, Crows Nest Gallery, London (UK)
Springboard, perhaps?, APT Gallery, London (UK)
Topographique, Selecta, Nyon (CH)
Darkmatter, La Reliure, Geneva (CH)
Undergraduate Summer Show, Camberwell College of Arts, London (UK)
FarFlung, The Platform 504, London (UK)
Musica Dispersa 04, Anatum’s Abode, London (UK)
Room With A View, Hotel Elephant, London (UK)

2014 ·

EXPAT, The Artworks Elephant, London (UK)
The Body Artistic, Asylum London (UK)
PLAYGROUND, Hotel Elephant, London (UK)
Prelude, 103 Ashfield Street, London (UK)
UNIT, CGP London (UK)
2013 · First Year Show, Camberwell College of Arts, London (UK)
OPEN 2012, Peckham Space, London (UK)

Public Installations & Performances

2023 ·

 Khôra, w/ J. Bauer & Rogue Slang, 48 Stunden Neukölln, Berlin (DE)

2021 ·

Treasure Hunt, w/ A. Bouquet, 48 Stunden Neukölln, Berlin (DE)

2020 ·

 Another View on Nature, w/ Antropical, ANF, Steinfort (LU)

2018 ·

Graspomaton, Gütermarkt, ZK/U, Berlin (DE)
The Hole Cities, Patatas Guerras, Buco della Luna, Carrara (IT)
The Hole Cities, Patatas Guerras, St. Thomas-Kirchhof, Berlin (DE)

2017 ·

Graspomaton, Kolla Festival, Steinfort (LU)
Awakening Aeons, w/ E. Bohorquez, Skonktronic 2, New River Studios, London (UK)

2016 ·

Marches, w/ C. Villaneau, Musica Dispersa 09 & 11, New River Studios, London (UK)

2015 ·

Temple to Uncertainty, Toblerone 2, Begnins (CH)
The Wonder, w/ C. Villaneau, Musica Dispersa 08, Power Lunches, London (UK)

2014 ·

Door, Toblerone, Sentier des Toblerones, Gland (CH)

Grants & Residencies

2022 ·

Artist in Residence, Atelier SKK-CVC Schweiz, Genova (IT)
Work Stipend, City of Nyon (CH)
Work Stipend, Region of Nyon (CH)

2021 ·

Artist in Residence, Eeeeh!, Nyon (CH)
Travel Grant Cultural Exchange, Senate Dept for Culture and EU, Berlin (DE)
Cultural Grant, City of Nyon (CH)
Project Grant, Region of Nyon (CH)
Project Grant, Fondation Equileo, Nyon (CH)
Collective Residency, Sementerie Artistiche, Crevalcore (IT)
Collective Cultural Grant, Ministry of Culture (LU)
Collective Project Stipend, Nature and Forest Agency (LU)

2020 ·

Collective Project Grant, Œuvre Grande-Duchesse Charlotte (LU)

2019 ·

Artist in Residence, Pilotenkueche, Leipzig (DE)

2018 ·

Artist in Residence, Zentrum für Kunst und Urbanistik, Berlin (DE)
Residents Ambassador, Antropical, Steinfort (LU)

2017 ·

Artist in Residence, Inspiring Change, Kuşadası (TR)
Artist in Residence, Antropical, Steinfort (LU)

2015 ·

Collective Residency, Crows Nest Space, London (UK)
Collective Residency, Hotel Elephant, London (UK)

2012 ·

Scholarship, Fondation Hélène et Victor Barbour, Geneva (CH)

Publications

2022 ·

Artefact, In: Petit Agenda culturel morgien, Pilotis, Morges (CH)

2021 ·

Portrait of Y, In: Window Texts, CCA Derry~Londonderry (UK)

2020 ·

Collective Project Grant, Œuvre Grande-Duchesse Charlotte (LU)

2017 ·

Awakening Aeons, In: 020 ELECTRODYNAMICS COMPILATION, Musica Dispersa Records, London (UK)

2018 ·

Artist in Residence, Zentrum für Kunst und Urbanistik, Berlin (DE)
Residents Ambassador, Antropical, Steinfort (LU)

2017 ·

Artist in Residence, Inspiring Change, Kuşadası (TR)
Artist in Residence, Antropical, Steinfort (LU)

2014 ·

Ever Since, In: UNIT Catalogue, Camberwell Press (UK)

Collective Initiatives

2023 ·

Co-founder, Studio 101 Projektraum- und Ateliergemeinschaft e.V, Berlin (DE)

2018 ·

Member, Antropical asbl, Intl Artists Collective (LU)

2020-2023 ·

Co-founder and active member, ilali Studio, Berlin (DE)

2015-2016 ·

Active member, Perhaps? Collective, London (UK)

2014- 2015 ·

Organiser, Toblerone Arts & Experimental Music Festival (CH)

Impressum

We use our own and third-party cookies while browsing the website, in order to allow access to the functionalities of the website, extract traffic statistics and improve the user experience. You can accept all cookies, as well as select which ones you want to enable or configure your preferences.

Skip to content