Winner of the prestigious Meret Oppenheim Prize in 2022, 63-year-old Klodin Erb is now recognized as a leading figure in contemporary Swiss art. Yet, in French-speaking Switzerland, her work remains largely unknown to the public. With 'Un citron dans la peau', the Ferme-Asile offers the artist an exceptional playground: the 800 square meters of a historic barn where paintings, videos, drawings, and sound installations come together.
Exhibition curator Céline Eidenbenz emphasizes the unique quality that runs through the work of the Zurich-based artist, originally from Winterthur. "What I love most about Klodin Erb's work is its immense generosity, its joy, and above all, the fact that she flattens hierarchies. There are no longer any differences between pop culture and art historical references. We talk about emojis as easily as 17th-century art. She's an artist who's interested in everything and wants to be interested in everyone," she explained on the 12:30 news program on October 28.
This freedom is rooted in a spirit akin to surrealism. While questioning our connection to the living world, Klodin Erb wields self-deprecation and incongruity. "She brings together very different worlds. These unexpected, unforeseen encounters create a kind of new reality, like in exquisite corpses," explains the curator.
A citrus fruit as an alter ego
At the heart of the exhibition, a series of drawings explores the lemon in all its forms: lemons that transform, lemons that resemble breasts, lemons shaped like little men, lemons pierced by knives, or even a lemon root under a tree. Far more than a decorative motif, the citrus fruit is a true reflection of the artist.
"Klodin identifies with the lemon. She really created an alter ego where she disguises herself as a lemon. She puts herself in comical situations, (...) there are lots of references, it goes in all directions. It's a form of apologia for metamorphosis. (...) We may be a little acidic, but we are also 'sweet and sour' (...) There is always this ambivalence in Klodin Erb, she plays with these tensions."
The experience continues aurally with 'Le Petit chaperon rouge (Little Red Riding Hood)', an immersive eight-minute sound piece composed specifically for the Ferme-Asile. In this dreamlike reinterpretation, the wolf wears lipstick and the mushroom is afraid of the forest. Céline Eidenbenz sees in this the influence of Jungian psychoanalysis, so dear to the visual artist, as well as a play of free associations.
"We're not entirely sure we understand this story anymore, but that's intentional. We're in the world of dreams. (...) And ultimately, we can do what we want with it, it belongs to us," concludes Céline Eidenbenz.
Interview by Pauline Rappaz and Florence Grivel
Web adaptation: mh
'Klodin Erb - Un citron dans la peau', Ferme-Asile, Sion, until January 10, 2027. Please note that Klodin Erb is simultaneously presenting her work in France as part of a solo exhibition at the Swiss Cultural Centre in Paris, on view until December 15, 2026.
