Roman Signer (b. 1938 Appenzell) is one of Switzerland’s most prominent contemporary artists. His humorous works, which invite us to rediscover the world and its everyday objects in a refreshingly playful way, have gained him an international reputation. In a career spanning more than five decades, his work has been shown in major museums and groundbreaking exhibitions around the globe. The Kunsthaus Zürich now stages a unique retrospective of his oeuvre in the large exhibition hall.

The artistic experiences that Roman Signer constructs for us are a fascinating blend of process, play, experimentation and amazement. Elemental physical phenomena, along with the containment and release of energy, play a central role, as does the irresistible humour that characterizes his constantly surprising arrangements.

The exhibition incorporates works from every stage of Signer’s artistic career. Rather than being designed as a traditional retrospective it functions as an overall installation, a spatial composition that brings the works into dialogue with each other, highlighting new relationships between objects and ideas.

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Ill.: Roman Signer, Piaggio on Jump, 2003, Ski jump, Chochołów, Poland, photo: Rudolf Steiner / videocompany.ch, © Roman Signer