Canadian artist Chloe Wise has opened her first major institutional exhibition in Switzerland, titled "Extrasensory" at the Kulturstiftung Basel H. Geiger in Basel. The show explores UFOs, aliens, angels, demons, souvenirs, and objects of worship, using paranormal themes to examine humanity's need to give shape to the unknown. Wise, who has been obsessed with the topic for six years, incorporates her research into consciousness, biophysics, and quantum physics into paintings and installations, coinciding with renewed public interest in UFOs and Spielberg's return to alien-themed cinema.
This exhibition matters because it taps into a cultural zeitgeist around the paranormal and the unknown, reflecting broader societal anxieties and curiosities. Wise's work, which previously presaged the COVID-19 pandemic with her 2019 show about hygiene and isolation, demonstrates her ability to channel collective subconscious themes into visual art. By situating her exploration within a Swiss institutional context, the show marks a significant milestone for the artist's career and contributes to ongoing conversations about how art interprets and responds to contemporary mysteries.