Artist Statement
In my artistic practice, I engage with places, habitats, and their actors. From collected traces, stories, and materials, site-specific installations emerge in which research, sculptural thinking, and process-oriented work intertwine.
The works remain open and adaptable; they can be recombined, expanded, or adjusted to new conditions. Transformation is not only a method but also part of the conceptual engagement with political structures, sociological contexts, and ecological interdependencies. Questions of materiality and symbolism are as central as resource-conscious modes of production. Personal influences and experiences in construction and art production also inform the work.
Artist Biography
Noël Hochuli (*1990) is a Swiss-based artist whose background in construction and art fabrication shapes his approach. After completing a BA in Object Design at HSLU Lucerne, he worked for over eight years at the Kunstgiesserei St. Gallen. In 2025, he earned an MFA in Fine Arts from ZHdK. He lives and works in St. Gallen, Zurich, and Delémont.
Hochuli’s practice engages with places, habitats, and the dependencies that shape them. From traces, materials, and observations, he develops site-specific installations in which research and sculptural thinking intersect with process-oriented working methods. His work investigates how ecological, social, and material systems interact.
By shifting the perspective towards other life forms, a contrast emerges that renders human action visible and open to questioning. Some installations are designed to be presented in altered forms and scales. Many of his sculptural interventions explore spatial dissolution and permeability. Transparency, loose arrangements of materials, and found objects play a central role. Other media, including painting, photography, and literature, are often integrated into the work.
Selected Exhibitions
- 2025 _ Grosse Regionale, Kunst(Zeug)Haus, Rapperswil
- 2025 _ Berghof127, Embrach, ZH
- 2025 _ Hiltibold, St.Gallen (duo)
- 2025 _ Suron - Altes Land, Beletage KIFF, Aarau (duo)
- 2025 _ MFA Diploma Show, ZHdK, Zürich
- 2025 _ And then the dopamine ran out, Attempt Studio, Zürich
- 2025 _ Heimspiel, Kunstmuseum St.Gallen, St.Gallen (2024/25)
- 2024 _ Limited Aura, Hotel Tiger, Zürich (duo)
- 2024 _ Common Ground, SIC, Athens
- 2024 _ The Mutual Society, OnCurating Space, Zürich
- 2024 _ Limbo Kunstraum, Zürich (solo)
- 2023 _ Conditioner, ZHdK, Zürich
- 2023 _ Gift, ZHdK, Zürich
- 2023 _ Winter Auction, Toniareal, Zürich
- 2023 _ Off Grid, Material, Zürich
- 2019 _ Jubiläumsfeier Kunstverein Luzern, Kunstmuseum, Luzern
- 2019 _ Störwerkstatt, Ehemaliger Gasthof Hirschen, LE FOYER – IN PROCESS., Flawil SG
Collections
- 2025 _ Nocturnal Heritage, Kunstmuseum St.Gallen
General
- 2024 _ Summer School: Extractivismus, Shared Campus, Athens, Greek
- 2023 _ Summer School: Art & Activism, IfCAR, Instituto Svizzero di Roma, Italy
- 2020 _ 25 _ Curation of Input Series, Kunstgiesserei, St.Gallen
Education & Experience
- 2022–2025 Master in Fine Arts, ZHdK, Zürich
- 2017–2025 Kunstgiesserei St.Gallen AG, Project Management, St.Gallen
- 2016–2017 Civilian Service at Sitterwerk, St.Gallen
- 2015–2016 Freelance Work, Internship, Zürich and St.Gallen
- 2012–2015 Bachelor Objectdesign, HSLU Design & Kunst, Luzern
- 2010–2011 Foundation Course, HSLU Design & Art, Luzern
- 2009–2010 Vocational Baccalaureate in Art & Design, Luzern
- 2006–2009 Apprenticeship as a federally certified painter