Susann Walder
Exhibitions at Stalke Galleri
The Swiss artist Susann Walder (1959–2015) was known for her sharp, ironic, and often politically charged practice that intertwined art and life. In 1998 she participated in the major curated exhibition Make Believe at Stalke Galleri, organized by Christoph Doswald, alongside Christoph Draeger and Per Traasdahl. The following year she was invited back for On Paper (1999) and later presented work with Stalke at Liste Basel (2000). These projects marked Walder’s connection to Stalke and placed her in a wider network of experimental and concept-driven practices in Copenhagen and beyond.
Walder’s work combined found objects, costumes, everyday imagery, and self-made elements with humor and biting social critique. Through performances, installations, and assemblages, she addressed themes such as media overload, political propaganda, consumerism, and the absurdities of modern life. Her ability to blend irony with critical reflection gave her art a distinctly subversive edge, often compared to a “silent scream” against cultural conventions.
Since the 1980s, Walder exhibited widely at major institutions including Migros Museum, Kunsthaus Zürich, and internationally at Manifesta 1 in Rotterdam (1996). She remained an active presence in Zurich’s independent scene, often transforming exhibition spaces into chaotic yet poetic environments filled with objects, zines, photographs, and fragments of everyday culture.
Susann Walder passed away in Zürich in 2015, at the age of 56. Her legacy continues to resonate as part of Switzerland’s experimental art history, where her work is remembered for its humor, critical voice, and insistence on breaking down the boundaries between art and life.
Installation shot, from Susan Walder exhibition at Stalke Galleri, 1998
Susan Walder "13"