Artist Name: Philippe Wicht
Residency Dates: February – April 2024
Born: 1987
Hometown: Senèdes, Switzerland
Lives & Works: Bern, Switzerland
URL: www.philippewicht.com
Education:
2009 – 2012 | Bachelor in Theatre, HETSR, La Manufacture, Lausanne
2022 – 2024 | Master in Expanded Theater, University of the Arts, Bern
Bio/Statement:
Philippe Wicht is a Swiss actor, performer and music maker. In 2015, he won the Swiss Performance Award at the Kunstmuseum in Luzern for his piece “Prom”. His work has been presented in venues such as the Bad Bonn Kilbi Festival in Düdingen (2016), the Royal Baden in Baden (2015), the Arsenic theater in Lausanne (2018), the Electron Festival in Geneva (2016), the Belluard Bollwerk International Festival in Fribourg (2016), the Can in Neuchatel (2023), the Stadtgalerie in Bern (2016), the Bluefactory in Fribourg (2015), Espace Libre & Incubo in Biel/Bienne (2022) and Nifff – Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival (2023).
In his work, Wicht creates corporal images that appear and disappear within various artistic mediums and cultural contexts. These manifestations can represent unconscious affects, hidden desires, dominated politics of being seeking emergence and materialization. His body can be perceived as a collective and dis-identified site for projection and imagination, constantly morphing itself through the utilization of masks and spectral states of presence. During his performances, Wicht actively engages the audience by altering their spatial and situational positions. He often employs architectural elements to craft immersive environments that surround viewers, enticing them to participate in the experience. His primary tools include original sound, costume design, playfulness and physicality.
In his latest project, “Parts,” Wicht focused on four male archetypes: the warrior, the magician, the king and the lover—which he embodied one after the other in a minimalistic aesthetic. Each character had their own universe and timeline. The primary goal was to evoke men’s sensitivity, to awaken the child that lies beneath the layers of armor and testosterone, and to show that masculinity is rich and diverse, and that a body is above all a matter of fun and sensuality.
Support: Philippe Wicht’s residency is made possible with support from the Canton of Berne Office of Culture / Cultural Promotion.
