The Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia has appointed Philipp Kaiser to curate the exhibition at the Swiss Pavilion at the 2017 Art Biennale in Venice. Born in Berne and now based in Los Angeles, Kaiser is regarded as one of the most renowned Swiss exhibition makers worldwide.

Philipp Kaiser, born 1972 in Berne, has been selected to curate the exhibition at the Swiss Pavilion in Venice’s Giardini for the 57th International Art Exhibition – la Biennale di Venezia. Kaiser, who lives and works in Los Angeles, was recommended for nomination by the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia’s art biennials jury. While in previous years artists have been nominated to exhibit at the Swiss Pavilion, now the jury have chosen a curator to assume the responsibility for Switzerland’s National Participation at next year’s Venice Art Biennale. This year, the biennial’s jury based their decision on Philipp Kaiser’s impressive accomplishments as a curator, notably his monographic and thematic exhibitions with both public and private collections which create bridges between Europe and America. The Venice Biennale is one of the world’s most prestigious platforms for contemporary art.

Working as an independent curator and art critic in California, Kaiser’s work recognises and retains his close links to the Swiss art scene. He is currently preparing a comprehensive exhibition focussing on the archive and library of the late, world-famous Swiss curator Harald Szeemann at the renowned Getty Research Institute in LA. Kaiser began his career as an Art historian in Switzerland. From 2001 to 2007, he worked as curator for modern and contemporary art at the Museum für Gegenwartskunst in Basel. He then moved to the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in Los Angeles. At the age of 39 he was appointed Director of Museum Ludwig in Cologne. His work as visiting professor at the Akademie der Bildenden Künste in Karlsruhe, the University of California in Los Angeles and, also in California, the Claremont McKenna College give evidence of his close ties to teaching and research.