Collegium Helveticum
Switzerland
fellow
Paulo Wirz
2023-2024
Discipline(s)
Arts and arts studies
Theme(s)
Behavior & Cognition; Visual Arts
Fellowship dates
›
Biography
Paulo Wirz (born 1990 in Pindamonhangaba, Brazil) is an artist based in Zurich, working with large-format sculptures and site-specific installations. In his research, Paulo investigates different forms of social and anthropological conceptions of mortality and attempts at immortality. He is intrigued by the role and the relation between preservation, possession, transmission, visibility, and invisibility in our culture and society.
Paulo obtained a BA in photography from Zurich University of the Arts and an MA in fine arts from HEAD – Genève. In 2019, he received the New Heads Prize and in 2021, a Swiss Art Award. Between 2019 and 2022, he took part in various residency programs such as Fondazionne Ratti (Como, Italy), ZQM (Berlin, Germany), Cité des Arts (Paris, France), and ProHelvetia (Cairo, Egypt). In 2024, he will be enrolled at the New Europe College, Bucharest, as part of a residency grant from the Landis Gyr Foundation. His work has been exhibited in institutions such as Kunsthalle Basel (Switzerland), FriArt (Switzerland), Centre d’Art Contemporain de Genève (Switzerland), Helmhaus (Switzerland), Archivio Conz (Germany), Wehrmühle (Germany), HausKonstruktiv (Switzerland), Fondazionne Ratti (Italy), and Cité des Arts (France).
Research Project
Pensamentos Paralelos: The Parabola and Wor(l)d of Objects
The central purpose of the project is to investigate, reflect, and expand our perception of the symbolic exchange between humans and things in religious and ritualistic contexts. To analyze the human dependency on material things—whether sentimental, physical, or symbolic. To speculate about the relationship between faith and technology and how both might jointly evolve. For his investigation, Paulo will be analyzing human behavior within both physical and virtual environments. His research will be translated into a visual essay that aims to contribute to our understanding of the human condition and its need for preservation.
Research Interests:
symbolic exchange; religious and ritualistic contexts; human dependency; material things