Biography
Florian Graf was born in Basel in 1980. In his work, the Swiss artist and trained architect explores the relationship between people, space and architecture. He examines how spatial structures are shaped by social and cultural notions and, conversely, how they influence our perceptions and actions. Drawing forms an important starting point for his work; he also works with painting, sculpture, photography and site-specific installations.
From 1999 to 2005, Graf studied architecture at ETH Zurich, graduating with distinction. This was followed by further studies at the Edinburgh College of Art and the Royal Drawing School in London. In 2009/10, he was a Fulbright Fellow at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
The 2012 project Ghost Light Light House is a prime example of Graf’s exploration of space and orientation. As part of a grant from the ZF Art Foundation, he had a lighthouse – almost nine metres high and mounted on a pontoon – move across Lake Constance. The mobile installation thus playfully subverted the lighthouse’s actual function as a fixed point of orientation and appeared at various locations around the lake over the course of the project.
Graf has received numerous awards, including the Swiss Art Award in 2013. His works are held in the collections of the Kunstmuseum Basel, the Aargauer Kunsthaus, the Kunstmuseum Bern and the
