Biography
My practice unfolds in a transversal field of research: I work as an artist, as a writer, as a teacher, as a translator, as an artist-writer, as a teacher-translator...
My main areas of interest are experimental writing practices, embedded and embodied practices of sense-making, translinguistic writing, the po(ï)ethical potential of hybrid languaging practices.
After a decade focused on project-based work for exhibitions, my focus has shifted to long-term projects which engage transversal practices of writing and revolve around the sharing of practices to forster communities of practitioners in the field of experimental writing.
As a lecturer in the Department of Cultural Analysis at ZHdK, I have initiated, co-designed and implemented teaching formats from this perspective.
As co-founder and editor of the magazine DEARS, together with Nicole Bachmann and Robert Steinberger, I established a platform for texts at the interface of poetry, art and experimental writing. In addition to the print magazine, we conceive and organise performative readings and formats - currently the public series dears, write in the programme of Soirées Cabaret Voltaire - with the aim of experiencing and pollinating writing as a relational practive.
I am also engaged in collective projects in the field of langage-based artistic research, investigating writing practices that perform relational subject positions, addressing methodological questions concerning the collective shaping of such practices, and exploring the relationship between sensing and languaging practices.
I obtained a PhD in Philosophy at the University Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne in 2006, and a Master in Fine Arts at Zurich University of the Arts in 2012. Since then, I have been working at the Department Cultural Analysis and Mediation: as a lecturer at the Master in Transdisciplinary Studies at the Zhdk since 2012, at the CAS Schreiben in Kunst und Kultur since 2019, and in the Minor Creative Writing since 2024. I have also been working at the Research Focus Transdisciplinarity in 2015 and 2020, and at the Research Focus Cultural Analysis in the Arts since 2020. Moving from a theoretical thinking to a practical thinking has been crucial to my approach as an artist, as a teacher, and as a researcher.
My work has been shown and performed at various venues including I Never Read, Basel; CAN-Centre d’art Neuchâtel; Palais de Tokyo, Paris; Centre Pompidou, Paris; La Galerie, Noisy-le-Sec; Museum Haus Konstruktiv, Zürich; Corner College, Zürich; Milieu, Bern; Fondazione Ratti, Como, La Rada, Locarno. I won several prizes, among which the Swiss Art Award and the Art Prize of the City of Zurich, both in 2017.
Member of the Society of Artistic Research (SAR), Special Interest Group "Language Based Artistic Research"
Member of the Swiss Artistic Research Network (SARN)
Publication
1.1. Curated solo exhibitions
1. 3SCRIPTS&!, cur. Etienne Wismer, Grand Palais, Berne, 2019
2. The Quest – Delphine Chapuis Schmitz im Archiv, cur. Geraldine Tedder und Christoph Schifferli, Archiv, Zurich, 2017
3. Strange Strangers, cur. Lisa Lee Benjamin and Petra Tomljanovic, Kulturfolger, Zurich, 2017
4. if anything remains, cur. Ramon Feller, Milieu, Berne, 2016
5. We’d rather not talk about Ludwig / We’d rather not talk about Margarethe, together with Veronika Spierenburg, cur. Anna Francke, Le Foyer, Réunion, Zurich, 2015
6. 48. There are things I want to do but until they have a place, they remain necessarily vague and indeterminate, cur. Sabine Schaschl, Museum Haus Konstruktiv, Zurich, 2014
7. www.corner-college.com, cur. Stefan Wagner, Corner College (physical space and website), Zurich, 2014
8. 56 Räume / 56 espaces / 56 spaces, cur. Ramon Feller and Ines Schärer. Projekt Da, Berne, 2011
9. scenery change, cur. Vincenze Abate, Pah!project, Fribourg, 2011
10. how to build a space with two legs. Station 21, Zurich, 2011
11. De part et d’autre, cur. Pierre-Hadrien Poulouin Galerie du Théâtre, Vanves (F), 2011
1.2. Curated digital artwork on the website of art institutions
1. “Sentimi”, cur. Gioia Dal Molin, Website of Istituto Sizzero, 2020. URL: https://www.istitutosvizzero.it/fr/sentimi/
2. “OISNY”, cur. Emilie Renard. Website of La Galerie, centre d’art contemporain de Noisy-le-Sec, 2016/17. URL: http://archive.lagalerie-cac-noisylesec.fr/oisny/
3. “www.corner-college.com”, cur. Stefan Wagner, Corner College (interventions both on the website and in the physical space), Zurich, 2014. URL: https://corner-college.com/Veranstaltungen/1395270000/801
1.3. Peer-reviewed books and monographs
1. The Quest – Artist Book, backbonebooks, Berlin. (Publication supported by the Division for Culture of the Canton of Zurich and the Foundation Ernst & Olga Gubler Hablützel), 2019
2. Delphine Chapuis Schmitz. Cahier d’Artiste, with a text by Chus Martinez, Edizione Periferia. (Publication selected and supported by ProHelvetia), 2015
3. Le Sens à l’épreuve de l’expérience, Paris, Vrin, collection “Analyse et philosophie”, 2010
1.4. Original artworks in peer-reviewed group exhibitions (selected by a panel of experts) (*with catalogue)
1. “WAITING2BGHOSTS_AGAIN”*, in: Swiss Art Awards. Basel, 2017
2. “F*CTITIOUS–A ManifestO! 4 Donna Jeanne”, in: Werk- und Atelierstipendien der Stadt Zürich, Helmhaus, Zurich, 2017
3. “The Missing Part”, in: Werk- und Atelierstipendien der Stadt Zürich, Helmhaus, Zurich, 2015
4. “Spätnachmittag, früh am Abend”, in: Werkschau 2013. Fachstelle Kultur Kanton Zürich, F+F Schule für Kunst und Mediendesign, Zurich, 2013
5. “In partenza”*, in: Corso Aperto, cur. Andrea Lissoni, Fondazione Ratti, Como, 2012
1.5. Original artworks in curated group exhibitions by invitation (*with catalogue)
1. “Le Onde”, in: Vibrating Zone, cur. Carolina Sanchez and Lisa Lee Benjamin, La Rada, Locarno, 2019
2. “La recrudescence des rêves”, in: StoryTelling (Fragments d’histoires), cur. Julija Cistiakova, Privas (FR), 2019
3. “La prochaine fois on échouera mieux (Next time we will fail better)”, in: Tempo Elastico, cur. Martin Jakob, Nicolas Raufaste, Sebastian Verdon, CAN centre d'art Neuchâtel, 2019
4. “Notes/notes/Notizen”, in: Sobranie Cocktail, cur. Julija Cistiakova & Ekaterina Shcherbakova, Dienstgebäude, Zurich, 2018
5. “Entlang einer gut sichtbaren Linie”, in: Tektonik, cur. Johannes Hedinger, 10 Jahre Jubiläum der UNESCO-Welterbe Tektonikarena Sardona, 2018
6. “Gravity’s Rainbow”, in: 20, cur. Emilie Guénat, (les halles) espace d’art de Porrentruy, 2018
7. “All that remains”, in: Extended Cahiers, Ground Art Space, Moscow, 2017
8. “F*CTITIOUS–A ManifestO! 4 Donna Jeanne”, in: Vernunft und Ordnung, Milieu, Berne, 2017
9. “@ongoing_pieces”, in: Performing Knowledge, cur. Yasmin Afschar & Gioia Dal Molin, Dienstgebäude, Zürich, 2017
10. “Correspondances”, in: Tes mains dans mes chaussures, cur. Emilie Renard and Vanessa Desclaux, La Galerie, centre d’art contemporain de Noisy-le-Sec, 2016/17
11. “The deliquescence of dreams – part one”, in: Museum ON/OFF, cur. Alicia Knock, Centre Pompidou, Paris, 2017
12. “Die Zumutung”, in: No-where? Now-here! The Molecular Books of Life, cur. Dimitrina Sevova, Corner College, Zurich, 2016
13. “There must be other shifts (Variations sur l’innommable)”, in: Thank you for your time. And you can thank me for mine, cur. Friction, Gessnerallee, Zurich, 2015
14. “Now that is something not to think but to link – Notes towards a probable future”, in: Collection Cahiers d’Artistes, cur. Patrick Gosatti and Yasmin Afschar, Druckwerk, LISTE 20, Basel, 2015
15. “Futurity”, in: minimale2. Alpineum Produzentengalerie, Luzern, 2014
15.* “11’5.1 loop”, in: It Is All in the Detail, cur. Sabine Schaschl, Kunstmuseum Baselland, Basel, 2013
16. “Gruppenausstellung”, in: Staging Point, cur. Marie-Ève Knoerle and Madeleine Amsler, Piano Nobile, Geneva, 2013
17. “l’appartamento” and “l’ombra del crisantemo”, in: Uno, Interno 4. Bologna, 2013
18. “An attempt to overcome solipsism”*, in: Jeune Création. Le 104, Paris, 2012
19. “Where we came forth, and once more saw the stars”, in: Je veux danser, je veux penser, je veux danser, je veux penser, cur. Geraldine Tedder, Hinterhof, Basel, 2012
20. “We’ve been looking forward to seeing you”, in: Joëlle Allet, Delphine Chapuis Schmitz, Esther Kempf, cur. Andreas Marti, Dienstgebäude, Zurich, 2012
21. “Excerpt”, in: Mit-Ohne. Urgent Paradise. Lausanne, 2012
2.1. Invited performative readings in curated festivals and exhibitions
1. "I won't stop looking for cracks", in "Reading the Library. Feministische und de-koloniale Ansätze der Wissensordnung", cur. Barbara Biederman and Lucie Kolb, Kunstbibliothek Sitterwerk, St Gallen, 2021.
2. “Le flux, le reflux”, in: Revenir et Dire ça, cur. Gilles Furtwängler, *DUUU Radio / Nuit Blanche, Paris, 2019
3. “Konstellationen des Konkreten”, in: Konkrete Gegenwart, cur. Sabine Schaschl, Museum Haus Konstruktiv, Zurich, 2019
4. “Reading Session Chapters 1-20: Futurspectives”, in: La République géniale, Kunstmuseum, Berne, 2018
5. “Agnes, Susanne, Felix, Silvia, Paul und Margrit, Fritz, Ueli, Max, Ursula, Anton und Marlis, Josua und andere”, in: Art Safiental, cur. Johannes Hedinger, Tenna (CH), 2016
6. “Tu m’entends là, maintenant?”, commissioned by Floating ON AIR / Nuit Blanche, Paris, 2016
7. “@ongoing_pieces”, in: Museum On/Off, cur. Alicia Knock, Centre Pompidou, Paris, 2016
8. “Well-come!”, in: Museum Live, Centre Pompidou, Paris, 2016
2.2. Invited performative readings for a specialised audience (artistic contributions)
1. “@ongoing–pieces”, Center for Contemporary Art, Plovdiv, Bulgaria, 2018
2. “Parasitic Thoughts”, cur. Petra Tomljanovic, Kulturfolger, Zurich, 2018
3. “Petite lune (never finished whole)”, together with Gilles Fürtwangler, Ground Art Space, Moscow, 2017
4. “YSION(s)?!”, L’Art au centre, Palais de Tokyo, Paris, 2017
5. “Re-Collections”, What’s Wrong with Performance Art?, Corner College, Zurich, 2017
6. “Der totale Widerstand is missing”, cur. Anne-Laure Franchette and Damian Christinger, Volumes, Independant Art Book Fair, Gessnerallee, Zurich, 2016
7. “The one who sees the lost continent”, Public Pool #1, cur. C-E-A / Commissaires d’exposition associés, Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris, 2016
8. “Aus dem Nichts”, re-vi-ra. A play / eine Ausstellung in 4 parts, together with Julia Bodamer, Ines Schaerer, Gian-Andri Toendury, Réunion, Zurich, 2016
9. “This event of poetry”, Rooftop Reading IV, cur. Sarina Scheidegger and Nora Locher, Basel, 2015
10. “In Other Words (2), Anne Desbarèdes”, Performative Writing, Forum im Juni, cur. Inès Schaerer and Damiano Curschellas, Chur (CH), 2015
11. “The Slowness of Writing as a Way of Reading or A Curious Amalgam of Voices”, Performative Writing, Corner College, Zurich, 2015
12. “In Other Words (1), Elisabeth Costello”, Performative Writing, Perla Mode, Zurich, 2015