Mathias Bader
b.1978 in Zurich, Switzerland
lives and works in Zurich
Mathias Bader works in sculpture, photography and drawing, with a practice centered on the perception of nature and its narrative as landscape.
“My work explores perception, time and transformation, revealing the world as a dynamic interplay of forces. I invite reflection on impermanence, continuity and the subtle dialogues between observer and environment. Through my practice, matter, form and consciousness are shown as fluid, mutable and endlessly evolving.”
Born and raised in Zurich, he remains connected to the alpine landscapes of Graubünden through his family.
He began his career as an illustrator and infographics designer for publishers, specializing in natural sciences and environmental issues. Engagement with digital 3D modeling led him to Florence, where in 2013 he enrolled in the three-year program in classical figurative sculpture and drawing at the Florence Academy of Art.
The Academy emphasizes observation from the life model, sculpting in clay from small scale to life-size figures, alongside technical skills such as mold-making and casting.
"I was drawn to learn this comprehensive vocabulary—from overarching gesture to its full embodiment in flesh and bone, all grounded in solid structure."
Since graduating in 2016, he has extended this foundation in search of a shared vocabulary between organic and inorganic matter. Body and rock, gesture and terrain—each reveals the dynamics that shape the visible world and hint at a common origin.
"Trained as a classical sculptor, I have focused intensively on the human body, where forms, abstract in detail, carry the essence of the whole. I encounter the same principle when walking through natural landscapes: the expressiveness of forms reveals the forces and dynamics that shape the terrain."
Working across sculpture and photography, he treats light as a medium, while drawing serves to explore and map new territories.
"As sculptor, I shape a stage for light to perform. As photographer, I shape light to perform on a preexisting, selected stage. While sculpture is volatile, unveiling a multitude of formations due to constantly changing daylight, photography condenses this fluent variety in to a singular moment."
Mathias works from his studio in Zurich, in the field and during regular residencies by the Aegean Sea. Alongside his artistic practice, he is a scientific illustrator at the University of Zurich. His works are held in private and public collections, including the Museu Europeu d’Art Modern (MEAM), Barcelona.
