(1982 USA/CH)
Leah Anderson came to Switzerland in 2008 as an American expatriate looking to deepen her educational and cultural experience. During her first 10 years in Switzerland she was living and working in Lausanne, and in 2018 become a dual Swiss-American citizen and relocated to the small alpine village of Venthône, Valais. Most days Anderson can be found living and working in Valais, but also continues participating in collaborative projects, and artistic residencies both Nationally and Internationally.
In her artistic research, Anderson questions the status of the unique, the multiple, and the copy in a work of art and other forms of cultural mimesis. She produces independent publications, serial drawings, performative readings, and sculptural installations. She is also passionate about giving workshops, lectures, and classes locally and abroad.
The oscillation and interplay between a diversity of mediums and activities found in Anderson’s artistic practice is in respons to some of the cultural and social specificities of living and working between urban, suburban, and rural contexts and the poetry and challenges of a multilingual day-to-day exhistance. These elements motivate and stimulate Anderson’s work and keeps it current as it evolves and changes in response to her surroundings.
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SOME PUBLIC EVENTS AND EXHIBITIONS
2022
COMPO/STARIUM-project and exhibtion-La Ferme des Tilleuls Espace d’exposition et de création in Lausanne-CH.
2021
INDEX residency-Zurich-CH
2020
Art & Fiction: 20 Year Anniversary Celebration-Lausanne-CH Ruine et Pixel-Assens Cultural Space, Assens-CH
2019
Printing Plant-Publication Launch, Loogiestratt 60, Amsterdam-NL Volumes-International Archive, Kunsthalle Zurich, Zurich-CH Between the Waves-In Collaboration w/ London’s Feminist Library, TATE, London-UK
2018 Waiting to Connect-EDHEA Library, Sierre-CH Blackout-Arsnic Theater, Lausanne-CH
2017 Blackout-Corner College Zurich-CH BIG Festival-Geneva-CH
2016 Maurice Zermatten, Aux sources…-Fondation Pierre Arnaud, Lens/Crans-Montana-CH
2015 Mater of Mimesis-CRAASH Research Center, Cambridge University, Cambridge-UK UNICUM Ceramics Biennale-National Museum of Ljubljana-SL 59th Faenza Ceramics Biannual-Museum of Ceramics, Faenza-IT
2014 Show, Showed, Shown-Manor of Martigny- CH Heritage 1-Art Museum of Thune-CH
2013 Flora’lies- Chateau Mercier, Sierre-CH RELOADING II-Les Halles USEGO, Sierre-CH Cabinet de Lecture/Master Reading-Saint Valentine Espace d’Arts, Lausanne-CH
2012 Rhône-la-vallée : Une réflexion sur une territoire-Foundation Valette, Ardon-CH ROYAL Culture and Film Festival-Roya-LV UNICUM International Ceramics Triennial- Royal Manaor,National Monument, Maribor-SL Revisiting Heritage-Salle de Paroise, Leytron-CH Taiwan Ceramics Biennale-Yingge Ceramics Museum, Taipei-TW
2011 Third International Triennial of Silica Art-Ceramics Studio, Kecskemet-HU BIS-Ferme Asile Cultural Center-Sion-CH Tu vois c’que j’veux dire-Ex-EPA, Vevey-CH
2010 Real Presence collective residency and exhibiton-Belgrade-SE Double Exposure-Musée d’Ethnographie de Genève (MEG), Genève-CH
INSTITUTIONAL ACTIVITY
2013-2019: Ceramics and Composite Studio Manager and Instructor École de Design et Haute Ecole d’Art (EDHEA) HES-SO, Sierre-CH
2011-2012: Research Assistant EDHEA, HES-SO, Sierre-CH
2011-2012 : Assistant to Artists in Residency EDHEA, HES-SO, Sierre-CH
2005-2011: English Language Instructor various positions, and instruction of diverse ages, and levels: USA, FR, CH
EDUCATION
2012-2015: Haute Ecole d’Art et Design (HEAD) HES-SO Participant in Pre-PhD Seminar in collaboration with the department of Critical Curatorial Cybermedia (CCC) Geneva-CH
2009-2011: École de Design et Haute Ecole d’Art (EDHEA) HES-SO Masters of Art in Public Spheres (MAPS), Sierre-CH
2009: Centre d’Enseignement Professionnel Vevey (CEPV) Semester within the ES degree program of the ceramics department, Vevey-CH
2000-2005: University of Colorado at Boulder (CU Boulder) Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA), Colorado-US
PRIZES
Prize of the City of Sierre, for the “sculptural strength” of diploma exhibition work Remodeling, presented for Master of Art in Public Spheres.
Scholarship for attendance to the 2007 International Conference for Teachers of English as a Second Language, New York, NY.
Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program UROP Grant granted by the University of Colorado at Boulder for the BFA diploma work “As Above so Below.”
Scholarship of Merit granted by the faculty of Fine Art at the University of Colorado at Boulder.
COLLECTIONS
Artothèque, Médiathèque of the State of Valais Sion-CH, Museum of Ceramics Faenza-IT
Slovenia National Museum, Ljubljana-SL, International Ceramics Studio Kecskemet-HU
New Taipei City Yingge Ceramics Museum, New Taipei, Taiwan