In this episode of art_biites I’m speaking with Denise Bertschi, a Swiss artist currently pursuing her research as a fellow at the Collegium Helveticum at ETH in Zurich. I’m interviewing Denise Bertschi on the occasion of her show at CAN, the Centre d'Art, in Neuchâtel, Switzerland, and she’s also currently participating in the exhibition *Colonial – Switzerland’s Global Entanglement* at the National Museum in Zurich, which is open until January 19th, 2025.

Denise Bertschi's work lies at the fascinating intersection of visual culture, colonial history, geopolitics, trade flows, and architecture. She earned her PhD at the Arts of Sciences Lab at the Department of Architecture at the EPFL in Lausanne, and in 2020 she won the Manor Art Prize. In addition to her exhibitions, she’s self-published two monographic books on her research that have received the Most Beautiful Swiss Books Award in 2019 and 2022. She’s shown her work both in Switzerland and internationally.

In this episode, we explore the artist's latest exhibitions but also give an overview of her previous work, highlighting her decolonial approach by rewriting memory and denouncing history with a special focus on Switzerland's colonial entanglements. Her work, which often starts with archival research, has a distinctly activist edge—she’s driven to uncover Switzerland’s historical involvement in extractivist and discriminatory practices around the globe and the repercussions this still has today. Her exhibition at CAN specifically explores the visual landscape and what this tells us about the colonial history through the architectural legacy present in Neuchâtel.

Join me, Isabelle Reymond, as we explore the rich and multifaceted work of Denise Bertschi, her research, and the stories she uncovers through her art.

Some topics discussed in this episode:

Uriel Orlow

ZHDK

EPFL

Long durée

Colonia Helvecia

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