Monster Chetwynd «Zardoz»

With Monster Chetwynd (b. 1973 in London, lives in Zurich), the Kunsthaus Zürich presents the very first commission for its Garden of Art. Rising up in the grounds is a monumental head more than eight metres tall – a sculpture that is both a space for thought and a space for play. Inspired by the grotesque figures of the 16th-century garden at Bomarzo, by the science fiction visions of the 1970s and by the folly tradition, the work invites children and adults alike to step inside and explore it. The climbing frame within transforms monumentality into accessibility and activates the outdoor space designed by David Chipperfield as a genuine Garden of Art for the first time.

Chetwynd’s work fuses art history, popular culture and feminist strategies to create new forms of garden art. In collaboration with architects and engineers including the startup Contouro stemming from ETH Zurich, associated with Digital Building Technologies chair, she has created a contemporary sculpture that recasts monumentality as playful, participatory experience. On view until 2027, freely accessible, it makes art a tangible, sensory encounter while providing space for reflection – a powerful statement for the future of art in public space.

Supported by the Hans Imholz Foundation, the Tarbaca Indigo Foundation, the Dr. Georg and Josi Guggenheim Foundationas well as private patrons from the Gateway Fund, a fund to support public art installations at the Kunsthaus Zürich.