Since its foundation, the Museum Tinguely in Basel has seen itself as a place where art is not only shown, but also understood as a mirror of social and technological developments. With its exhibitions, it opens up perspectives that go far beyond the classic view of art - to questions that affect our coexistence, our democracy and our relationship with nature. In the fall and winter of 2025/26, the museum is dedicating major solo exhibitions to two artists who shed light on these burning issues in very different but equally compelling ways: Oliver Ressler and Carl Cheng. While Ressler's video works at the intersection of art and activism focus on the state of our democracies and the global fight against the climate crisis, Cheng looks at the interactions between humans, nature and technology in a body of work that spans six decades. Together, the two presentations offer a powerful reflection on how art can encourage us to ask questions, think about the future and take responsibility.
Oliver Ressler, Not Sinking, Swarming, 4K video, 2021 Courtesy of the artist, àngels Barcelona © ProLitteris, Zurich
Oliver Ressler: Scenes from the Invention of Democracy
Oliver Ressler (*1970, lives in Vienna) is one of the most important international artists who consistently combine their work with political commitment. His video works, photographs and installations are often created in close dialog with social movements, climate protests or civil disobedience initiatives. Ressler thus shows how closely democracy, ecology, migration and the world of work are interlinked - and how much they are challenged by global capitalism.
Four of his central video works, which can be understood as artistic interventions, will be presented in Basel: They document forms of protest, negotiate the power relations of our present and open up imaginary spaces for action. Ressler's works take on a particular urgency in the face of increasing authoritarian tendencies and an escalating climate crisis. They are not only an analysis, but also a call to action - images that shake us up and at the same time show us perspectives.
September 24, 2025 to March 1, 2026
Carl Cheng, Alternative TV #3, 1979, Courtesy the artist and Philip Martin Gallery, Los Angeles, photo: Ruben Diaz
Carl Cheng: Nature Never Loses
With Carl Cheng (*1942, San Francisco; lives and works in Santa Monica), Museum Tinguely is dedicating a comprehensive retrospective to a pioneer of Western American art for the first time in Europe. Since the 1960s, Cheng has been developing an oeuvre that cannot be categorized in conventional terms. Influenced by the mood of political awakening, the technological innovations of the aerospace industry and the ecological upheavals of his time, he created works that combine art, science, design and ecology.
"Nature Never Loses" shows the enormous range of his work over six decades - from early experimental sculptures to complex multimedia installations. Cheng questions the role of art institutions, the impact of technological developments on our society and the traces we leave behind in the environment. Today, his work is more visionary than ever: it invites us to rethink the relationship between humans and nature and to take responsibility for the world around us.
December 3, 2025 to May 10, 2026
Two exhibitions - one dialog
With the exhibitions by Oliver Ressler and Carl Cheng, Museum Tinguely spans an arc between socio-political activism and an artistic vision of the future. Both artists share the conviction that art is not only an aesthetic experience, but also an instrument for thinking, feeling and acting. Visitors to the museum in the coming months will experience two very different artistic positions - and a joint invitation to take a critical look at our present and actively shape the future.
www.tinguely.ch
