👥 Olaf Breuning. Humans
Olaf Breuning @olafbreuning (*1970, Schaffhausen) gehört zu den international erfolgreichsten Schweizer Kunstschaffenden seiner Generation. Mit der Ausstellung «Humans» kehrt der Künstler in seine Geburtsstadt zurück – 25 Jahre nach seiner ersten Präsentation im Museum zu Allerheiligen.
Breunings Arbeiten bewegen sich spielerisch zwischen Zeichnung, Fotografie, Video, Skulptur und Installation. Mit Humor, Ironie und einer bewusst einfachen Bildsprache richtet er den Blick auf das Hier und Jetzt. Seine Werke zeigen die Menschen in all ihren Widersprüchen: zwischen Neugier und Naivität, Fortschritt und Verantwortungslosigkeit.
Im Zentrum der Ausstellung steht unser Umgang mit der Welt – etwa die Ausbeutung von Ressourcen und die ökologische Krise. Breuning legt menschliche Schwächen schonungslos offen, ohne dabei die Lust am Absurden und Komischen zu verlieren. Seine Arbeiten laden dazu ein, über unser Verhalten nachzudenken – und unsere eigenen Schlüsse zu ziehen, im Spannungsfeld von Ernüchterung und Zuversicht.
▪️06. Juni – 27. September 2026
▪️Vernissage: Fr, 05. Juni 2026, ab 18.30 Uhr
📍Museum zu Allerheiligen, Schaffhausen
📘 Zur Ausstellung erscheint im Verlag Scheidegger & Spiess eine Begleitpublikation. Erhältlich ab Mitte Juli 2026 im Museumsshop.
Ausstellungskuration: Sarah Merten @sarah__merten
Werbegrafik & Publikation: Hammer, Zürich @hammer__
Besonderen Dank an:
Galerie von Bartha, Basel @vonbartha
Galerie Semiose, Paris @semiosegalerie
Fotocredits: Olaf Breuning, Leave me Alone, 2024. Courtesy: the artist and Galerie Semiose, Paris.
#OlafBreuning #Humans #MuseumZuAllerheiligen #olafbreuninghumans #ContemporaryArt
If you are not an ignorant asshole, you want to make a better world. Small steps to focus on something that has a positive impact on us. Art is doing this. Art is a place where people can relax from the latest world news, which is not always uplifting, and reflect on life.
Puddle is a new magazine aimed at adults and children. The first issue features my art and poetic writing by @mattonlymoore . Puddle @puddleuniverse launched @inness_ny and @perrotinstore and is going to grow from now on. “Make it real, take a small action” is written on the last page, motivating readers to scan the QR code to be guided to actions such as “support on-time climate action in New York.” Small steps, motivated by a playful magazine.
Crated by Kendra Salvatore @kdrasalvatore and Yukino Moore @yukinosaurus
We invite you to experience “Violet Butterflies” through a guided tour led by artist Olaf Breuning.
The exhibition will remain on view through May 30.
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Les invitamos a recorrer la exposición “Violet Butterflies” en una visita guiada de la mano del artista Olaf Breuning.
La muestra permanecerá abierta hasta el 30 de mayo.
“Just Sad”, Bronze buckets, and ceramic sculpture, 51.77 x 11.61 x 12.6 in, 131.5 x 29.5 x 32 cm, 2026.
This sculpture is a part of the current show “Violet Butterflies” @_monclova .Three bronze/ceramic sculptures surrounded by my simple line drawings. Looking at the world often makes me very sad. The series is called “Sad Artist”.
photos by Ramiro Chaves, courtesy @_monclova
Olaf Breuning Animal sculptures in production images from 2023!
Cuts like butter…🧈
A glimpse into the making of Olaf Breuning’s animal sculptures, where skilled stonemasons in Switzerland shape Cantera stone into playful yet precise forms.
Known for his multi-layered practice, Olaf Breuning has, since the early 2000s, created photographs and installations that challenge how we perceive reality—often balancing humor with a subtle sense of unease. These works carry that same spirit: simple at first glance, yet full of character. Somewhere between the natural and the artificial, they reflect Breuning’s ongoing interest in questioning the world around us—this time through stone, form, and process.
"The animals have nothing to say. They wait for the big 'hammer' to drop down on them.
They all frown and look to the sky. We, humans, change the planet, and as a dominating species, we think first about ourselves. The animals have nothing to say." — Olaf Breuning
Olaf Breuning "Sad and worried animals / Koala," 2023
#olafbreuning #vonbartha #animals
Proyectos Monclova Gallery anuncia la apertura de “Violet Butterflies”, exposición del artista multidisciplinario Olaf Breuning (Schaffhausen, Suiza, 1970), que reúne dibujo, pintura y escultura.
La muestra ofrece una perspectiva amplia de más de tres décadas de producción, permitiendo observar la evolución de los planteamientos conceptuales que han definido su trabajo. Más que una revisión retrospectiva, se propone un acercamiento dinámico a la manera en que su obra ha dialogado con la escena artística europea de inicios del siglo XXI, así como a las transformaciones derivadas de su residencia en Nueva York durante las últimas dos décadas, contexto que ha influido de forma significativa en sus procesos, lenguajes y formas de producción.
Inauguración: jueves 16 de abril.
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Proyectos Monclova Gallery announces the opening of “Violet Butterflies”, an exhibition by multidisciplinary artist Olaf Breuning (Schaffhausen, Switzerland, 1970), featuring drawing, painting, and sculpture.
The exhibition offers a broad perspective on more than three decades of production, allowing viewers to trace the evolution of the conceptual approaches that have defined his work. Rather than a closed retrospective, it proposes a dynamic exploration of how his practice has engaged with the European art scene of the early 21st century, as well as the transformations resulting from his residence in New York over the past two decades—a context that has significantly influenced his processes, languages, and modes of production.
Opening: Thursday, April 16.
For my upcoming solo shows at @_monclova and @museumzuallerheiligen I took the pencil to work. The last time I was focusing on drawings was about 10 years ago. These simple line drawings are an essential part of my work, and I am happy to get back to them. I like the production: you need a pencil, a piece of paper, a table, and a chair, that’s it. And of course, an idea. Voila, that’s all it needs. I am a simple person.
