Signes et Sentiments is a walk-in installation by artist* Sabian Baumann. Hanging from the ceiling are 26 hands modeled from unfired clay, either clenched into a fist or outstretched. Open hands touching each other speak of affection, of devotion and hope, while the outstretched fist is a symbol of the fight against discrimination and of social change. By varying the heights, orientations and spacing of the hands, a whole spectrum of feelings and symbols emerges.
This work originated at the beginning of 2021 and was inspired by these strange times of the corona virus. People were no longer supposed to touch each other, and at the same time the Frauenstreik (Women’s strike) and Black Lives Matter demonstrations were taking place in Zürich. You can keep these events in mind while looking at this work. It makes no sense to reduce it to these alone, however, because Signes et Sentiments extends beyond these inspiring moments in history.
Sabian Baumann lives and works in Zurich. In addition to exhibitions in Switzerland and abroad and lectureships at various art universities, they is repeatedly active as initiator and co-organiser/curator of various queer art and film projects, most recently with « die grosse um_ordnung » (2018).
Sabian Baumann was and is a member of various committees and juries and has received numerous awards, including scholarships in New York and Berlin, the Erna und Curt Burgauer Award in 2012 and the Art Award Aargau in 2021. A monographic catalogue was published by Edition Fink in 2009. Sabian Baumann is represented by Galerie Mark Müller, Zurich.