Lechbinska Gallery
Lechbinska Gallery
Mühlebachstrasse 12
CH-8008 Zürich
Thu-Fri 13-17h, Sat 12-16h

Lechbinska Forum
Mühlebachstrasse 14
CH-8008 Zürich
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Bignia Wehrli

Bignia Wehrli (*1979) is based in Berlin and Sternenberg (Switzerland). She studied art at the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts (Germany) at the École des Beaux-Arts Paris (France) and at the China Academy of Art Hangzhou (China). Her work has been shown internationally in numerous exhibitions including in 2022 «Being Theoria: The 4th Hangzhou Triennial of Fiber Art», Zhejiang Art Museum, Hangzhou (China), «Forming Comunities: Berliner Wege», Kindl - Zentrum für zeitgenössische Kunst, Berlin, in 2020 «Magia Naturalis», Sariev Gallery, Plovdiv (Bulgaria), in 2019 «Leichter als Luft», Altana Galerie, Dresden and in 2018 her solo show «Den Horizont in der Hand halten» at Kunsthalle Winterthur.

Bignia Wehrli produces instruments for the transformation of signs. For example, she transfers geodetic measurements into sound, contour lines into coloured yarns, starlight into cryptic drawings, and she lets the sunlight draw circles over the Rhine. In doing so, the artist sees herself less as a designer than as a "causer".

Philosopher Boyan Manchev writes about Wehrli's work: „Ultimately, the operation at stake in Wehrli’s performance-based visual artwork could be perceived as an outstanding example of a new type of artistic operation. Namely an artistic operation where the media are conceived as dynamic transformers, meant to inject autonomous agency and therefore autonomous will to an inanimate agent (or patient) thus opening a possibility for non-human actors to enter the stage of (aesthetic) production of meaning. But in this operation the substance of the human body – the subjective consistency – is not erased. (Boyan Manchev, The Theatre of Miracles, in: Bignia Wehrli, Instrumentarium, Zürich 2018).

Bignia Wehrli (*1979, Uster, Switzerland) embarked on a rich educational path, beginning her studies in fine art at the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts. During this period, she also spent a semester as an Erasmus student at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Following the attainment of her degree in Dresden in 2005, she continued her studies for two years at the China Academy of Art in Hangzhou (CAA), first in the Total Art Studio and later in the Calligraphy Department. Bignia’s academic career concluded in 2009 once again at the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts, under the guidance of Professor and artist Monika Brandmeier, earning a Master’s degree in Fine Arts.

As stated by the philosopher Boyan Manchev, Bignia Wehrli’s work represents “an outstanding example of a new type of artistic operation”. The artist focuses on exploring visualization processes and conceiving different approaches to immortalize ephemeral events. Bignia’s artistic process involves research, experimentation, and discoveries that may lead to satisfying or unsatisfying outcomes. Very important is the dedication to creating new methods, and new devices, to represent and record new experiences and fleeting actions is crucial in her art. The contextual change and exploration of new places and distances are also essential, constantly attempting to bring innovation and novelty.


The artwork, in its final appearance, seems to be the result or residue of something beyond what is immediately visible. It appears as a remnant, a cryptic sign, or a clue, suggesting that what is shown is only a part of a broader meaning or a hidden reality. Creating, drawing, and encoding daily traces become a kind of secret writing. In this context, the artwork becomes a bearer of deeper meaning, prompting curiosity and interpretation from the viewers.

Nature itself becomes a co-author in Bignia Wehrli's artistic expression, an element escaping the artist’s control. Sunlight, a cloud, or the flow of a river transporting a camera adds unpredictable and spontaneous layers to the artwork. This collaboration with nature becomes a journey into the unknown, a voluntary challenge that imparts an element of unpredictability and authenticity to her work. In this way, it transforms into an open dialogue between the artist, nature, and the audience.

Bignia’s work has been shown internationally in numerous exhibitions including in 2022 «Being Theoria: The 4th Hangzhou Triennial of Fiber Art», Zhejiang Art Museum, Hangzhou (China), «Forming Comunities: Berliner Wege», Kindl - Zentrum für zeitgenössische Kunst, Berlin, in 2020 «Magia Naturalis», Sariev Gallery, Plovdiv (Bulgaria), in 2019 «Leichter als Luft», Altana Galerie, Dresden and in 2018 her solo show «Den Horizont in der Hand halten» at Kunsthalle Winterthur.
Selected
exhibition history
2024
Remembrance
Artists of the Gallery
Nov 20-24, 2024
Abu Dhabi Art
June 10-16, 2024
VOLTA Basel
Sep 14-17, 2023
Positions Berlin
2022
LIGHT LIGHT
Bignia Wehrli & Liao Wenfeng
Photography
Bignia Wehrli, Star writing
Bignia Wehrli, Star writing
Bignia Wehrli, Star pencil in work