21.11.2024
Thomas Zollinger
Thomas Zollinger lives and works in Biel and Zurich, Switzerland. His conceptual work involves minimal art performances of standing and slow walking. Beginning in 1991 with Ritual Theatre, he has progressively elaborated his idea of participative performances in durational projects such as the „12th months performance" in which he ritualized elementary human actions (1998/1999) or the prolonged 3-years-performance CH LOVES ART (1998-2001), concerning the requirements of artist's existence in Switzerland. His focus lies on the absence of objects, materials, requisits and the use of nothing beyond human presence.
During his „expedition.02" from Strasbourg F to Sion CH (2002) he was physically walking along the language borders of these areas and in the following years he has created and varied many walking and standing projects. His work has been shown in cities such as Linz (European Capital of Culture), Murcia (Manifesta8), Biennial of Lanzarote and public spaces throughout Europe (Istanbul, Bodrum, Tromsö, Dresden, Feldkirch).
Since 2008 he realizes naked performances (solo / group) in urban space, for example „Naked Ufo" with 18 participants as an off-project to the Swiss sulpture exhibition (2009), the „Naked Art Walk" Zurich (2012), an „Artwalk with Nude Accents" with the „Procession of the Naked" in Biel Switzerland (2014). Recently in September 2014, the „Naked Slow Walk" was invited in the „Zagreb I love you Festival". It was shown on the Croatia TV with following short reports in online-medias all over Europe.
Thomas Zollinger, born 1952 in Zurich, was an experimental writer. In the eigthies he began to study theatre, performance art and movement, and took inspiration from Norbert Klassen (Berne), Black Market International, Grotowski and Butoh Dance. In 1991 he started his own projects in Ritual Theatre, in which he was examining the border between performer and audience, and also the body in an empty space with its naked architecture.