About the artist
Drawing was
my island, my refuge …
—
Christine Sefolosha was born in Switzerland, near Montreux on Lake Geneva shores. As an only child, she grew up under her mother’s care who lovingly encouraged her imaginative streak and left her to explore it freely. Passionate about horse riding, the young girl told herself stories and created worlds inhabited by horses and animals. When she turned 20, and was about to start Fine Art School, life, in an odd turn of events, brought her to South Africa. Her first six years there were spent in a protected environment within the White community. Family was a priority. But she continued drawing. With assiduity. Animals chiefly. Until a time when she became conscious of the harsh realities of Apartheid. Her escapades into the townships confronted her with the gagged, undercover culture of its people. Music, theatre, dance, visual arts: such an amazingly rich, creative streak was revealed to her through her wanderings. This experience would forever change Sefolosha. From then on, the artist realized that she could no longer be content to reproduce just the surrounding reality, but that she must imperatively explore the depths of her feelings, find her place in the world, in other words, realize herself as an artist. Coming home to Switzerland in the early of the 1980s, Christine put all her energy into reaching her goal. Her first solo show in Vevey in 1988 became the beginning of a path that has brought her to exhibit around the world.
La tête à l’envers
Marlène Métrailler
Laurence Froidevaux et Marlène Métrailler
(March 26, 2016)
About the artist
Drawing was
my island, my refuge …
—
Christine Sefolosha was born in Switzerland, near Montreux on Lake Geneva shores. As an only child, she grew up under her mother’s care who lovingly encouraged her imaginative streak and left her to explore it freely. Passionate about horse riding, the young girl told herself stories and created worlds inhabited by horses and animals. When she turned 20, and was about to start Fine Art School, life, in an odd turn of events, brought her to South Africa. Her first six years there were spent in a protected environment within the White community. Family was a priority. But she continued drawing. With assiduity. Animals chiefly. Until a time when she became conscious of the harsh realities of Apartheid. Her escapades into the townships confronted her with the gagged, undercover culture of its people. Music, theatre, dance, visual arts: such an amazingly rich, creative streak was revealed to her through her wanderings. This experience would forever change Sefolosha. From then on, the artist realized that she could no longer be content to reproduce just the surrounding reality, but that she must imperatively explore the depths of her feelings, find her place in the world, in other words, realize herself as an artist. Coming home to Switzerland in the early of the 1980s, Christine put all her energy into reaching her goal. Her first solo show in Vevey in 1988 became the beginning of a path that has brought her to exhibit around the world.
La tête à l’envers
Marlène Métrailler
Laurence Froidevaux et Marlène Métrailler
(March 26, 2016)
About the artist
Drawing was
my island, my refuge …
—
Christine Sefolosha was born in Switzerland, near Montreux on Lake Geneva shores. As an only child, she grew up under her mother’s care who lovingly encouraged her imaginative streak and left her to explore it freely. Passionate about horse riding, the young girl told herself stories and created worlds inhabited by horses and animals. When she turned 20, and was about to start Fine Art School, life, in an odd turn of events, brought her to South Africa. Her first six years there were spent in a protected environment within the White community. Family was a priority. But she continued drawing. With assiduity. Animals chiefly. Until a time when she became conscious of the harsh realities of Apartheid. Her escapades into the townships confronted her with the gagged, undercover culture of its people. Music, theatre, dance, visual arts: such an amazingly rich, creative streak was revealed to her through her wanderings. This experience would forever change Sefolosha. From then on, the artist realized that she could no longer be content to reproduce just the surrounding reality, but that she must imperatively explore the depths of her feelings, find her place in the world, in other words, realize herself as an artist. Coming home to Switzerland in the early of the 1980s, Christine put all her energy into reaching her goal. Her first solo show in Vevey in 1988 became the beginning of a path that has brought her to exhibit around the world.
La tête à l’envers
Marlène Métrailler
Laurence Froidevaux et Marlène Métrailler
(March 26, 2016)
Chapelle Sainte Anne
du 8 juin au 4 août 2024
—
Passagers
de l’incertain
Ghyslaine, Sylvain Staëlens, Christine Sefolosha
Works
Centre Friedrich Dürrenmatt
du 1 juin au 29 septembre 2024
VERNISSAGE Le samedi 01 juin à 17.00
—
Mondes animaux
Ugo Rondinone, Christine Sefolosha
22 septembre dès 11.30, se retrouver
autour de l’exposition « Mondes animaux »
Centre Friedrich Dürrenmatt
Works
Galerie Oblique - St-Maurice - Suisse
du 25 mai au 28 juin 2024
VERNISSAGE Le samedi 25 mai de 14 à 19.30
VISITE GUIDÉE Le dimanche 26 mai avec l’association AACS dès 14.00
—
À l’ombre de la lune
Vernissage le samedi 25 mai 2024 de 14.30 à 19.00. avec une présentation à 16.30 de la nouvelle publication "Aurora" de Christine Sefolosha par Philippe Fretz de la maison d’édition Art&fiction
Galerie 29 - Evian - France
du 29 octobre 2023 au 3 février 2024
PROLONGATION jusqu’au 4 février 2024
FINISSAGE en présence de l’artiste,
samedi 3 février de 15h à 18h.
—
Bateaux-monde
Monotypes
La série au long cours, « Bateaux-monde », nous emmène voguer sur des navires fantomatiques peuplés d’êtres étranges, polymorphes, de bêtes mythiques. Il y est question de voyages ou d’errances, de passage d’un monde à l’autre. Vaisseaux passeurs, vaisseaux fantômes, vaisseaux voyageurs, vaisseaux oniriques…
C’est au spectateur de se laisser porter par le flot des émotions.
—
« C’est comme si je partais en voyage sans vraiment connaître le but, en découverte.
Les émotions que suscite ma quête me tiennent lieu de guides. Ma démarche créatrice provoque en moi un état de perplexité devant ce qui apparaît et me pousse à m’interroger. Cet univers intérieur qui se dévoile petit à petit représenterait-il un fragment de quelque chose de plus vaste et de plus universel ? »
Galerie 29
Espace culturel
29 rue Nationale
74500 EVIAN
FRANCE,
–
Article de presse
The Atlantis Bookshop - London
11th -23rd Sept 2023
Open Monday to Saturday 10.30 am - 6.00pm
—
Efnniht HEXibition
Cathy Ward & Christine Sefolosha
Please join us in welcoming Christine Sefelosha to London from Montreux Switzerland. Its a huge honour to be having Christine’s unique visionary & mystical work on show here.
This exhibition is a celebration of the Autumn Equinox! Reception and last day:
September 23rd from 1PM-6PM
Une invitation de Cathy Ward, artiste britannique, j’expose une série de petits formats à The Atlantis Bookshop.
—
Une célébration de l’Équinoxe
d’ automne qui se termine le 23 September, jour de l’Équinoxe.
The Atlantis Bookshop
A Living History of Magic,
exhibition in the Gardner
Room, 49a Museum Street, Bloomsbury,
LONDON,
WC1A 1Ly
–
Works
Works
Cavin-Morris Gallery - New York
2 février - 1er avril 2023
—
The Go-Betweens
New work by Christine Sefolosha and
Sylvain and Ghyslaine Staelens
—
As a young girl, I used to sneak out of the house and steal the doormat. I then would bring it to the majestic Lebanon cedar in front of our house. I would adjust the mat to the sturdy lower branch of the tree and ride away. My adventures were mostly fed by alltime favorite fairy tales heard in my childhood and richly illustrated books my mother would often find for me that were my other friends. I spent many hours passionately riding my blue green “horse” across imaginary plains In magical voyages that brought me to the extraordinary “other side”. Like Alice sitting on her large plant friend riding through the mirror.
With this serie of recent works, likewise I never know beforehand how the piece will look before starting.
One overlay over the other slowly brings meaning and vision towards the finalImage.
Often I hesitate, going forward and backwards, letting go and letting myself be directed by chance which demands total surrender, I will eventually reach the moment when nothing can be added or removed
I think wildlife, being vegetal, animal or human are bound together and belong to this greater realm we need to experience, brought together by inseparable ties.
For these to appear, and be meaningful, one must be very attentive in order To receive imperceptible signals in a state of extreme openness.
My paintings at best could be symbols of these unconscious currents that have also been shaped by the various levels of my experiences, Intuition being an important tool towards what should be the ultimate destination.
When something unknown, strange, nameless appears , I can say :
I am ready to follow !
Christine Sefolosha
OUTSIDER ART FAIR NEW YORK
March 2nd - 5th
-
EDGEWALKER : sacres and profane
April 6th- May 27th
Le Printemps de Septembre
17 Septembre – 17 Octobre 2021 > 21 Novembre 2021
—
Les 30 ans
du Festival
PROLONGATION > 21.11.21
Les vaisseaux fantômes, les navires errants, naufragés, engloutis, habitent notre imaginaire, la littérature et ses mythes depuis L’Odyssée et l’Arche de Noé. C’est que l’océan est un élément immense et menaçant, un monde familier et dangereux. Le sublime et l’horrible s’y emblématisent avec la finitude de l’humain et son aptitude à surmonter ce qui l’excède, à toiser l’impossible. Les fonds des mers sont jonchés d’épaves qui sont en soi des trésors pour nos rêves. Ce monde sub-aquatique nous fascine par son inhospitalité attirante, son altérité radicale.
L’univers des oeuvres de Christine Sefolosha possède cette familiarité inquiétante, cette atmosphère nocturne où les formes semblent se dissoudre sous nos yeux tandis que nous sommes saisis par leur beauté épique. Ce monde flou engendre des monstres qui sont les nôtres. Nulle aube pour les faire fuir dans ces dessins, ces monotypes, ces encres échevelées. L’art de Christine Sefolosha ne nous protège pas de nos inquiétudes, il nous les dépeint dans ses troublantes métaphores, ses arachnéennes allégories qui sont sans merci pour le spectateur
de leurs fééries tantôt burlesques tantôt sombres.
-
Christian Bernard, Directeur artistique, Le printemps de Septembre, Toulouse 2021
Works
Le Printemps de septembre
1er étage des Abattoirs, Musée Frac,
Occitanie, France
> La page de Christine Sefolosha
Vidéo interview
Christine Sefolosha
à l’atelier de l’imprimeur
taille-doucier Raymond
Meyer.
Galerie « les Yeux fertiles », Paris
21 octobre – 27 novembre 2021
—
Exposition monographique
Works
Galerie « les Yeux fertiles »
27, Rue de Seine, 75006 Paris
–
www.galerie-lesyeuxfertiles.com
Articles de presse
visibles ici
Newsletters AACS
Newsletters Mars 2021
—
Une fin d’hiver en forme de printemps
—
En préambule, une note en espérant que cette longue traversée qui perdure vous ai épargné le pire et que vous et les vôtres se portent bien, prêts à vivre plus pleinement le meilleur de la saison nouvelle qui s’annonce ! ...
-
As a preamble, a note in the hope that this long and enduring journey has spared you the worst and that you and yours are well, ready to live more fully the best of the coming new season.
> PDF Newsletter AACS / Mars 2021 / French
> PDF Newsletter AACS / March 2021 / English
Kunst Museum Thurgau, Ittinger Museum, Warth (Suisse) 21 mars - 19 décembre 2021
—
« Jenseits aller Regeln »
La collection Rolf Röthlisberger
—
Ouvert du lundi au vendredi : 14-17 heures
Samedi, dimanche 11-17 heures
Works
Musée Jenisch, Vevey (Suisse)
29 octobre 2020 Prolongation jusqu'au 11 avril 2021
Vernissage le 29 octobre 2020 dès 18h30
—
Autour de Marguerite
Burnat-Provins avec C.Sefolosha et S. Pelletier
—
A l’invitation du Musée Jenisch, Vevey, Christine Sefolosha a créé une série d’oeuvres nouvelles afin d'accompagner l’exposition consacrée à l’artiste française Marguerite Burnat-Provins. A voir jusqu'au 7 mars 2021.
-
Being invited by Museum Jenisch, Vevey (Switzerland) Christine Sefolosha has created a serie of new works around the extraordinary Marguerite Burnat Provins
To be seen until March 7th 2021
Works
Acquisition
Le Musée Jenisch et son cabinet des Estampes et le canton de Vaud
ont acquis en octobre 2022 :
—
« Épave en fête »2021 / Poudrage de monotype
54 x 103 cm
AFAM American Folk Art Museum, NYC
September 17, 2019 — January 26, 2020
—
Memory Palaces:
Inside the Collection of Audrey B. Heckler
—
The exhibition Memory Palaces: Inside the Collection of Audrey B. Heckler will open at the American Folk Art Museum (AFAM) (2 Lincoln Sq., Columbus Ave. at W. 65th St.) on September 17, 2019. Heckler’s collection encapsulates the growth of the field of self-taught art. There are key selections of European art brut, including works by Aloïse Corbaz, August Klett, Augustin Lesage, and Anna Zemánková; works by African American artists such as Thornton Dial, Sister Gertrude Morgan, and Mose Tolliver; American classics by Henry Darger, Emery Blagdon, William Edmondson, and James Castle; and twenty-first century discoveries from around the world by artists such as Guo Fengyi and Christine Sefolosha. The presentation, which will close on January 26, 2020, includes more than one hundred sixty artworks by more than eighty artists. The exhibition is curated by Dr. Valérie Rousseau, AFAM’s senior curator and curator of self-taught art & art brut.
Works
Château de Chillon, Suisse
29 August 2019 – 24 November, 2019
—
Larguer les amarres
Casting Off
—
Après Kyoto, Paris, Karlsruhe et New York, l'artiste montreusienne Christine Sefolosha a été invitée à présenter ses œuvres au château de Chillon™, une flotte entière de navires, pour l'exposition "Larguer les Amarres". Du 29 août au 24 novembre, le cœur du célèbre monument historique sera habité par ses toiles oniriques, ses vaisseaux mystérieux, ses créatures lumineuses et ombrageuses.
Works
Vidéo montage (timelapse)
© Lise Leyvraz Dorier
© Ronny Perraudin
© Fondation du Château de Chillon
La Ferme des Tilleuls
21 février – 26 mai, 2019
—
Sève, la forêt inspire
—