Tania Gheerbrant — nuts in shell

ꪀׁׅυׁׅtׁׅ꯱ׁׅ֒ ꪱׁׅꪀׁׅ ꯱ׁׅ֒hׁׅ֮ꫀׁׅܻᥣׁׅ֪ᥣׁׅ֪, presents the results of Tania Gheerbrant’s residency at Index Freiraum and is the French artist’s first solo exhibition in Switzerland. The title could evoke metaphorically the shape of a brain, a slang word for a “crazy” person or the expression “a nutshell” that means « to make a long story short. » But it actually refers more precisely to In a nutshell, the title of a magazine published by the Mental Patient Association in Vancouver during the 1970s. During her residency, Gheerbrant focused on printing and publishing techniques to create an environment capable of projecting us into the atmosphere of these archives. Using silk screen printing, paper, fabric, cardboard and mirrored foil, the artist creates a light, airy scenography. The ephemeral, poetic fragility of the chosen materials underlines the contingency of these groups, however powerful they may be. In parallel, the artist presents the final stage of a film made with members of the “entendeurs de voix” association. Organized around discussion groups that function as self-help systems, this movement aims to enable voice-hearers to share their experiences, while reflecting on the demedicalization and destigmatization of so-called mental illness.

Tania Gheerbrant lives and works between Paris and Zurich. She graduated from the Beaux-Arts de Paris in 2017. Her work, based on long-term research, mainly takes shapes in installations, videos and printed matters. Particularly interested in the history of psychiatric institutions and the anti-psychiatry movement, she is developing a filmic, visual and graphic practice that gives form to her research into listening and care.
She regularly takes part in institutional group exhibitions, including: Palais de Tokyo (2024-FR); Bally Foundation (2023-CH); Chapelle des Beaux-Arts de Paris (2022-FR); 66th Salon de Montrouge (2022-FR); Le Point Commun (2021-FR); Fondation Fiminco (2021-FR); Palais des Beaux-Arts de Paris (2021-FR); La Panacée MoCo, Montpellier (2019-FR); La villa Radet (2019-FR); The Other Art Fair, Turin (2018-IT).

Opening: July 5, 7 pm