Artissima 2024

Marion Baruch, born in 1929 in Timișoara, Romania, has always dealt with social issues in her work. In the 1980s, she founded NAME DIFFUSION, under which she carried out collective artistic actions from 1993 to 2010 that explored socio-political topics such as mobility, globalisation, and exile. Her work addresses themes like emancipation, oppression, consumerism, and modern working conditions. In recent years, Baruch has become particularly known for her textile works, which she creates from fabric remnants from Milan’s fashion industry. These pieces, installed on walls and ceilings, revolve around the theme of emptiness and work with gaps, transparency, and openness. Baruch refers to this as a ‘void,’ not as a spiritual nothingness, but rather as a literal free space that is meant to invite the audience. Her engagement with industrial production, design, and the distribution of goods remains central to her practice. Today, Marion Baruch lives in Gallarate, Italy.

Courtesy Galerie Urs Meile, Zurich/Beijing/Lucerne. Text: Heike Munder.