Manon de Boer at Kunstmuseum St. Gallen

Artist: Manon de Boer

Exhibition title: Che bella voce

Curated by: Fabian Flückiger

Venue: Kunstmuseum St. Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland

Date: March 26 – October 9, 2022

Photography: all images copyright and courtesy of the artist and Kunstmuseum St. Gallen

Manon de Boer works mainly in the medium of film. The perception of time and the inspiration for creative processes are central to her work, as are the conditions of the production and reception of film. People appear in de Boer’s works through their physical or sonic presence. Their gaze is directed inward, in relation to themselves. Or it is connected to others, a space, a city, or a landscape.

In these portrait-like films, de Boer plays with our accustomed hierarchies of sensory perception. The entirety of cultural production as well as the way we interact with each other are influenced by the weighting of the senses. We consume streaming services for music and films, and are familiar with radio, podcasts, as well as video, text, and voice messages. But are we also aware of the different levels of meaning of the respective media ? And what natural phenomena do we pay attention to ? Who are we when we must rely on ourselves, without access to electronic devices ? What thoughts and ideas develop out of this ?

In her work, de Boer suggests that the visual and sonic levels as well as the medium itself can also be viewed as independent narratives. Moreover, she gives a special status to the voice—not only as a means of communication, but also as a political or aesthetic bearer of meaning.

The retrospective at the Kunstmuseum St.Gallen is the artist’s first presentation in Switzerland. It offers a variety of listening and viewing experiences and also includes works from the museum’s collection.

Manon de Boer (*1966, Kodaikanal, India) lives and works in Brussels, where she currently teaches at the École de recherche graphique. Her works have regularly been shown at biennials, such as the Venice Biennale in 2007, the Berlin Biennale in 2008, the Bienal de São Paulo in 2010, and Documenta 2012 in Kassel. In recent years her work has been recognized with solo exhibitions at institutions including the Secession in Vienna in 2016, KANAL – Centre Pompidou in Brussels in 2019, and the Calouste Gulbenkian Museu in Lisbon in 2020.

Exhibition view, Manon de Boer: Che bella voce, Kunstmuseum St.Gallen, 2022. Photo: Sebastian Stadler

Exhibition view, Manon de Boer: Che bella voce, Kunstmuseum St.Gallen, 2022. Photo: Sebastian Stadler

Exhibition view, Manon de Boer: Che bella voce, Kunstmuseum St.Gallen, 2022. Photo: Sebastian Stadler

Exhibition view, Manon de Boer: Che bella voce, Kunstmuseum St.Gallen, 2022. Photo: Sebastian Stadler