IF I WERE A BIRD
Ways of Thinking
Temporary site-specific works
by Rahel Hegnauer
Content:
Rahel Hegnauer (*1968, Zurich, Switzerland) is an artist who works locally and site-specifically. She lives mainly in Zurich but also spends extended periods of time in the places where she is working on a project or exhibition.
Spatial aspects, as well as aspects of the history, politics and society of a place, determine the direction in which a work develops. Place and work belong together.
In her self-published book IF I WERE A BIRD, she provides a comprehensive insight into her artistic work over the past 30 years. The temporary installations are documented in detail with images and text.
"Rahel Hegnauer’s attitude and work can be understood in the context of ephemeral, site-specific art since the 1960s: [...] But Hegnauer’s approach is less ideological than intuitive. She does not seek spectacular intervention, but rather a sensitive balance between action and perception. Her independence lies in this restraint: intervention is not understood as a gesture or activism, but as a resonance of places and materials.
The political aspect arises from the situation and the chosen location itself. By working in a demolition area, on urban wasteland or a former industrial site, she naturally refers to social processes – to transformation, displacement, recollection. Her works address the moment of transition without moralising or disruptive intervention. They sharpen observation and are neither accusations nor manifestos.
[...]
In all works, the relationship between documentation and artwork remains open. This book and its narratives also serve to expand and preserve the original physical projects over time."
From the introductory remarks by Sandi Paucic (art historian/curator, Zurich): Topographies of the In‑Between, 2025.
German with English translation
Publisher: Rahel Hegnauer
Release Place: Zurich, Switzerland
Edition: 1st edition, 2026
Credits: Writer: Rahel Hegnauer, with contributions from Dhanya Rajaram, Ralph Hauswirth and Sandi Paucic, Designer: Rahel Hegnauer, Artist: Rahel Hegnauer
Printrun: 100
Identifiers: ISBN 978‑3‑033‑11812‑6
Price: CHF 100.– (plus postage)
(The book can be ordered by emailing rahelx@bluemail.ch; payment options: via Twint or payment slip)
Availability: Available Work:
Subform: Artist's book, monograph
Topics: Temporary site-specific works
Methods: Installation, intervention
Object (the book): Softcover, open-spine binding (thread-sewn), dustjacket and slipcase
Dimensions: 30,6 x 22,0 x 5,3 cm
Pages: 544, with 668 photographs