In the Wind

My works do not only explore the forms that live in the tire; they also explore the ways of materializing them outside their natural origin.
Peter Stämpfli

The flag, in a generic sense, is a sign and symbol with specific social connotations. This is not the case for Peter Stämpfli’s flags. Like inside a large-scale case, such as a Foundation gallery, and under a nostalgic title, we can observe them up close and establish contrasts and similarities between the natural origin of the geometric forms and their transformation.

The 11 flags hanging in this room were designed by Peter Stämpfli in the 1990s for two internationally projected art events. The first three composed the work Standart, which Peter Stämpfli presented in 1995 at the 3rd edition of the Swiss Sculpture Exhibition Art en plein air, held since 1985 without a fixed schedule in Môtiers, in the Swiss canton of Neuchâtel.

The other eight flew at the Eiffel – Branly space during the 1997 edition of the Paris International Contemporary Art Fair (FIAC). They all measure 200 cm wide by 190 cm high and are made of tricopolyester.