From 26 April 2026 to 10 January 2027, the Vincenzo Vela Museum in Ligornetto, Switzerland, presents "Bertille Bak: Voices from the Earth," the first major solo exhibition in Switzerland of French artist Bertille Bak. The show brings together works from the past fifteen years that combine cinema, visual arts, and field research, focusing on marginalized communities and themes of labor, identity, and resistance. Bak, born in Arras in 1983, creates video installations and narrative devices through long immersions in communities, with her work held in collections such as the Centre Pompidou and the Collection François Pinault.
This exhibition matters because it positions Bak as a leading European contemporary artist, highlighting her unique practice that blends documentary with performative and fantastical elements. The show also demonstrates how contemporary art can engage with social and economic transformations, while the dialogue between Bak's works and the museum's 19th-century heritage amplifies questions of collective memory and social identity. The exhibition's accompanying public programs further underscore the museum's commitment to cultural mediation and community engagement.