Kris Martin – Ola Kolehmainen; By Conviction

The events of the Reformation 500 years ago led to confessional religious practices in Switzerland. This field of tension between different convictions, in which the use of images and the design of the church interior also play an important role, forms the starting point of the exhibition.

On display are works by the Belgian conceptual artist Kris Martin (*1972) and the Finnish photo artist Ola Kolehmainen (*1964). Martin focuses his art on Christian symbolism, questions of time and transience as well as institutionalized religious rites. He often reacts to existing objects, which are re-contextualized through minimal interventions. Ola Kolehmainen traces the forms of representation of the divine in architecture and sacred objects. The photographic staging allows the aura of the sacred to be experienced in a sophisticated interplay of color, light and montage.

It becomes clear that fundamental questions of faith, religious practices and the power of word, image and space are still relevant today. The way in which the two artists question values, power structures and forms of representation leads to a shift in perspective. What beliefs do we bring with us and how do we deal with the beliefs of others?

Curation: Helga Sandl and Andreas Schwarz