Chantal Hediger
Born in 1974.
A painter working on raw cotton canvas, Chantal Hediger develops a practice in which acrylic, oils and oil pastel are used to compose ambiguous spaces oscillating between interior and exterior, where the coexistence of dissonant elements shares a single pictorial plane. Influenced by Japanese aesthetic philosophies and by the notion of «reading the air», her painting gives prominence to relationships, atmosphere and in-between zones.
Her visual language is characterised by saturated palettes and softly layered surfaces, in which organic forms and botanical fragments encounter linear structures and spatial constructions. The compositions variously suggest rooms, gardens or fabricated environments, yet reject documentary illustration in favour of bringing heterogeneous elements into relation.
Born in 1974 in Aarau, Chantal Hediger completed a painting course with Ilana Bloch in Los Angeles in 2005, followed by advanced studies in painting at the Kunstakademie Bad Reichenhall (2005–2011) under the direction of Peter Tomschiczek and Stefan Wehmeier, supplemented by studies and masterclasses with Ingrid Jureit (2012–2022). In parallel, she trained in art therapy (Magenta Akademie, 2007–2009) and obtained a federal diploma in art therapy from the HFGS in Aarau in 2020.
Her exhibition activity includes recent solo exhibitions—notably Innenwelten & Aussenansichten at Galerie Bachlechner, Bergdietikon (2024), Das ICH im Bild at AHA Halle, Aarau (2023), and Flow at Museum Amden (2021)—as well as participation in international group exhibitions (for example, Nature in Art, Rainforest Art Foundation, New York, 2016; International Rainforest Artists, Marlene Yu Museum, Shreveport, 2015) and in projects such as Frauen im Bundeshaus (SGBK, Bern, 2021). She has also been represented at art fairs, notably ART Innsbruck (2016, represented by Galerie Dür) and Immagina ARTE in fiera in Bologna (2008, represented by Kunstforum International). Her works are held in public and private collections, including the Rainforest Art Foundation, the Marlene Yu Museum (United States), and corporate collections in Switzerland (Baupool Baumanagement GmbH, Zürich; Raiffeisenbank Aarau‑Lenzburg).
Alongside her creative practice, she pursues teaching and mentoring activities: she has been a painting instructor for Boesner/Musenkuss since 2017, a lecturer in the art therapy module at Magenta Akademie since 2009, and an art mentor (Reise zu:r inneren Künstler:in) in Schmerikon since 2019, following her teaching of painting to adolescents at the Schul‑ und Wohnzentrum Schachen (2012–2014).
Based and active in Schmerikon (canton of St. Gallen), Chantal Hediger has been the subject of interviews and notices in recent specialist press (including an interview in 2022 and an article in 2024).