participation in the City of Zurich Art Grants 2026

Helmhaus, Zurich
Limmatquai 31, 8001 Zürich, Switzerland

https://helmhaus.org/en/exhibitions/kunststipendien-der-stadt-zuerich-2026

The scenes in Angelos Merges’ images appear familiar. They depict places associated with recreation, leisure, and freedom: beaches, lakeshores, excursions into nature. Although these are often perceived as neutral spaces, they are still shaped today by accessibility, privilege, and social conventions. For this reason, Merges deliberately stages the figures in his visual worlds without a fixed identity. Through extreme exposure and blur, they remain recognizable only as silhouettes.

At the same time, light constitutes the central element for the artist. In some scenes, the figures seem to chase after the last rays of sunlight. In others, however, the intensity of the light itself pushes them into the shadows. Through this fluctuation, Merges invites viewers to reflect on the ambivalence of visibility. For visibility can be an expression of self-determination, while at the same time also producing control and vulnerability. It is therefore never a purely individual decision, but rather the result of social and economic conditions.

Helmhaus exhibition text