Pamela Rosenkranz

“Beyond art historical interpretations, there are many other perspectives, such as the ones informed by biology and psychology. How do humans experience emotions? How do we express our feelings? And how do we affect one another? Art figures like a membrane – a medium through which we can explore these questions about human existence without simply reducing them to language.”

“I am interested in how the particular works on a micro level – whether it’s viruses or pigments penetrating the skin.”

Pamela Rosenkranz (b. 1979 in Altdorf ) explores the materialities and biochemical processes that affect our behavior and perception. Through her work, she probes the intersections between nature and artificiality, challenging what it means to be human.

With her installation Our Product (2015) at the 56th Venice Biennale – where she represented Switzerland – she transformed the Swiss Pavilion into a multisensory experience. The space was filled with a pink, viscous liquid and infused with a custom-developed scent. Combined with audio and light works, she blurred the boundaries between body, identity and environment. The work examined how perception is shaped by both cultural and chemical influences, demonstrating Rosenkranz’s ability to captivate her audience both sensually and intellectually.

Rosenkranz uses materials that reflect the human body and its connection to the natural world. Her series Firm Being (since 2009) features PET water bottles filled with pink silicone, addressing themes of purity, identity and the commercialization of natural resources. Alien Blue Windows (since 2017) engages with a radiant RGB blue reminiscent of oceans and the religious symbolism of the sky. By manipulating such primary colors, she explores how biological evolution and cultural conditioning shape our aesthetic sensitivity.

In her Viagra Paintings (since 2014), she combines medical and artistic elements: aluminium panels in various flesh-toned shades reflect neurochemical processes associated with expressive creativity. Works such as Infection (2017) utilize synthetic pheromones to investigate invisible influences on behavior and perception. In Healer (2019) , she developed a performance featuring a robotic snake, merging ancient symbolism with biomimetic technologies. These works, showcased at venues such as the Sharjah Biennial and the Okayama Art Summit, bring to the fore the blurring division between nature and technology in the Anthropocene.

Pamela Rosenkranz’s work represents a highly unique contribution to contemporary art, reflecting recent, radically transformative shifts in the philosophical and scientific understanding of humanity and nature.

Rosenkranz completed her MFA at the Academy of Fine Arts in Bern and held a residency at the prestigious Rijksakademie in Amsterdam from 2010 to 2012. With Old Tree – a bright red and pink sculpture – she created a signature public art installation on New York’s High Line, which was on display from 2023 to 2024. Her solo exhibition House of Meme (2021) at the Kunsthaus Bregenz explored the significance of memes as cultural codes on the internet. Her works are part of major collections, including the Centre Georges Pompidou and MoMA in New York. From May 2025, her work will be shown in a major solo show at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam.