Pipilotti Elisabeth Rist, birth name ''Elisabeth Charlotte Rist'' (born 21 June 1962 in Grabs) is a Swiss visual artist best known for creating experimental

video art Video art is an art form which relies on using video technology as a visual and audio medium. Video art emerged during the late 1960s as new consumer video technology such as video tape recorders became available outside corporate broadcasting. V ...

and

installation art Installation art is an artistic genre of three-dimensional works that are often site-specific art, site-specific and designed to transform the perception of a space. Generally, the term is applied to interior spaces, whereas exterior intervent ...

. Her work is often described as surreal, intimate,

abstract art Abstract art uses visual language of shape, form, color and line to create a Composition (visual arts), composition which may exist with a degree of independence from visual references in the world. ''Abstract art'', ''non-figurative art'', ''non- ...

, having a preoccupation with the female body. Rist's work is known for its multi-sensory qualities, with overlapping projected imagery that is highly saturated with color, paired with sound components that are part of a larger environment with spaces for viewers to rest or lounge. Rist's work often transforms the architecture or environment of a white cube gallery into a more tactile, auditory and visual experience.

Early life and education

Pipilotti Rist was born in the

Rhine Valley Rhine Valley (German: ''Rheintal'' ) is the valley, or any section of it, of the river Rhine in Europe. Particular valleys of the Rhine or any of its sections: * Alpine Rhine Valley ** Chur Rhine Valley (or Grisonian Rhine Valley; , or sometimes ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

. Her father was a physician and her mother a teacher. She started going by "Pipilotti", a combination of her childhood nickname "Lotti" and her childhood hero,

Astrid Lindgren Astrid Anna Emilia Lindgren (; ; 14 November 1907 – 28 January 2002) was a Swedish writer of fiction and screenplays. She is best known for several children's book series, featuring Pippi Longstocking, Emil i Lönneberga, Emil of Lönneberga, ...

's character

Pippi Longstocking Pippi Longstocking () is the fictional main character in a series of children's books by Swedish author Astrid Lindgren. Pippi was named by Lindgren's daughter Karin, who asked her mother for a get-well story when she was off school. Pippi is ...

, in 1982. Prior to studying art and film, Rist studied theoretical physics in Vienna for one semester. From 1982 to 1986 Rist studied commercial art, illustration, and photography at the

University of Applied Arts Vienna The University of Applied Arts Vienna (, or informally just ''Die Angewandte'') is an arts university and institution of higher education in Vienna, the capital of Austria. It has had university status since 1970. History The predecessor of the ...

in Vienna. She later studied video at the Basel School of Design, Switzerland. From 1988 through 1994, she was member of the music

band Band or BAND may refer to: Places *Bánd, a village in Hungary * Band, Iran, a village in Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Band, Mureș, a commune in Romania * Band-e Majid Khan, a village in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, ...

and

performance A performance is an act or process of staging or presenting a play, concert, or other form of entertainment. It is also defined as the action or process of carrying out or accomplishing an action, task, or function. Performance has evolved glo ...

group '' Les Reines Prochaines.'' In 1997, her work was first featured in the

Venice Biennial The Venice Biennale ( ; ) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy. There are two main components of the festival, known as the Art Biennale () and the Venice Biennale of Architecture, Architecture Biennale (), ...

, where she was awarded the Premio 2000 Prize. From 2002 to 2003, she was invited by Professor Paul McCarthy to teach at

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

as a visiting faculty member. From summer 2012 through to summer 2013, Rist spent a sabbatical in

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

Artwork

During her studies, Rist began making super 8 films. Her works generally last only a few minutes, borrowing from mass-media formats such as

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

and advertising, with alterations in their colors, speed, and sound. Her works generally treat issues related to

gender Gender is the range of social, psychological, cultural, and behavioral aspects of being a man (or boy), woman (or girl), or third gender. Although gender often corresponds to sex, a transgender person may identify with a gender other tha ...

sexuality Human sexuality is the way people experience and express themselves sexually. This involves biological, psychological, physical, erotic, emotional, social, or spiritual feelings and behaviors. Because it is a broad term, which has varied ...

, and the

human body The human body is the entire structure of a Human, human being. It is composed of many different types of Cell (biology), cells that together create Tissue (biology), tissues and subsequently Organ (biology), organs and then Organ system, org ...

. Her colorful and musical works transmit a sense of

happiness Happiness is a complex and multifaceted emotion that encompasses a range of positive feelings, from contentment to intense joy. It is often associated with positive life experiences, such as achieving goals, spending time with loved ones, ...

and

simplicity Simplicity is the state or quality of being wikt:simple, simple. Something easy to understand or explain seems simple, in contrast to something complicated. Alternatively, as Herbert A. Simon suggests, something is simple or Complexity, complex ...

. Rist's work is regarded as

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...

by some

art critics Art is a diverse range of cultural activity centered around ''works'' utilizing creative or imaginative talents, which are expected to evoke a worthwhile experience, generally through an expression of emotional power, conceptual ideas, tec ...

. Her works are held by many important art collections worldwide. In '' I'm Not The Girl Who Misses Much'' (1986) Rist dances in front of a camera in a black dress with uncovered breasts. The images are often

monochromatic A monochrome or monochromatic image, object or palette is composed of one color (or values of one color). Images using only shades of grey are called grayscale (typically digital) or black-and-white (typically analog). In physics, mon ...

and fuzzy. Rists repeatedly sings "I'm not the girl who misses much", a reference to the first line of the

song A song is a musical composition performed by the human voice. The voice often carries the melody (a series of distinct and fixed pitches) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs have a structure, such as the common ABA form, and are usu ...

Happiness Is a Warm Gun "Happiness Is a Warm Gun" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1968 album ''The Beatles'' (also known as "the White Album"). It was written by John Lennon and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. He derived the ...

" by

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

. As the video approaches its end, the image becomes increasingly blue and fuzzy and the sound stops. Rist achieved notoriety with '' Pickelporno'' (''Pimple porno'') (1992), a work about the female body and sexual excitation. The fisheye camera moves over the bodies of a couple. The images are charged by intense colors, and are simultaneously strange, sensual, and ambiguous. '' Sip my Ocean'' (1996) is an audio-video installation projected as a mirrored reflection on two adjoining walls, duplicating the video as sort of Rorschach inkblots. Besides a television and tea-cups other domestic items can be seen sinking slowly under the ocean surface. The video is intercut with dreamlike frames of bodies swimming underwater and other melancholic images such as colourful overlays of roses across the heavens. Slightly abstract and layered the visuals invite the viewer to reveal its depth beneath the surface. Accompanying the video is Rist singing

Chris Isaak Christopher Joseph Isaak (born June 26, 1956) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and occasional actor. Noted for his reverb-laden rockabilly revivalist style and wide vocal range, he is popularly known for his breakthrough hit and sig ...

's "

Wicked Game "Wicked Game" is a song by American rock musician Chris Isaak from his third album '' Heart Shaped World'' (1989). It was released as a single to little attention in July 1989 but became a sleeper hit when Lee Chestnut, an Atlanta radio station ...

". Her voice is starting of sweetly but becomes gradually out of synchronicity with the song, ending in the shrieking chorus of “No, I don’t wanna fall in love”. Rist breaks the illusion of synchronicity in the video with the asynchrony of the audio and captures the human longing for and impossibility of being totally in tune with somebody else. '' Ever Is Over All'' (1997) shows in

slow-motion Slow motion (commonly abbreviated as slow-mo or slo-mo) is an effect in film-making whereby time appears to be slowed down. It was invented by the Austrian priest August Musger in the early 20th century. This can be accomplished through the use ...

a young woman walking along a city street, smashing the windows of parked cars with a large hammer in the shape of a tropical flower. At one point a police officer greets her. The audio video installation has been purchased by the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA's collection spans the late 19th century to the present, a ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. Rist's nine video segments titled ''Open My Glade'' were played once every hour on a screen at

Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and Neighborhoods in New York City, neighborhood in the Midtown Manhattan section of New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway (Manhattan), ...

in New York City, a project of the ''Messages to the Public'' program, which was founded in 1980. “I want to see how you see – a portrait of Cornelia Providori” (2003) is an audio-visual work spanning 5:16. The sound was created in collaboration with Andreas Guggisberg, with whom Rist often works with. The main subject is the

dialectic Dialectic (; ), also known as the dialectical method, refers originally to dialogue between people holding different points of view about a subject but wishing to arrive at the truth through reasoned argument. Dialectic resembles debate, but the ...

al tension between macro and micro and how the continents are mirrored on the human body. The technical components are two to four layers of edited images, intricately cut and stacked on top of each other. ''Pour Your Body Out'' was a commissioned multimedia installation organized by

Klaus Biesenbach Klaus Biesenbach (born 1966)Erica Orden (December 26, 2009)Herr Zeitgeist''New York Magazine''. is a German-American curator and museum director. He is the Director of the Neue Nationalgalerie, with Berggruen Museum and Scharf-Gerstenberg Colle ...

and installed in the atrium of the

in early 2009. In an interview with Phong Bui published in

The Brooklyn Rail ''The Brooklyn Rail'' is an American publication and platform for the arts, culture, humanities, and politics, based in Brooklyn, New York. It features in-depth critical essays, fiction, poetry, as well as interviews with artists, critics, and ...

, Rist said she chose the atrium for the installation "because it reminds me of a church's interior where you’re constantly reminded that the spirit is good and the body is bad. This spirit goes up in space but the body remains on the ground. This piece is really about bringing those two differences together." Her first

feature film A feature film or feature-length film (often abbreviated to feature), also called a theatrical film, is a film (Film, motion picture, "movie" or simply “picture”) with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole present ...

, '' Pepperminta'', had its world premiere at the 66th Venice International Film Festival in 2009. She summarized the plot as "a young woman and her friends on a quest to find the right color combinations and with these colors they can free other people from fear and make life better.” When interviewed by ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' for a preview of her 2011 exhibition at London's Hayward gallery, Rist described her feminism: "Politically," she says, "I am a feminist, but personally, I am not. For me, the image of a woman in my art does not stand just for women: she stands for all humans. I hope a young guy can take just as much from my art as any woman." Rist has likened her videos to that of women's handbags, hoping that they'd have “room in them for everything: painting, technology, language, music, lousy flowing pictures, poetry, commotion, premonitions of death, sex, and friendliness."

Personal life

Rist lives and works in Zurich, Switzerland with her partner Balz Roth, an

entrepreneur Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value in ways that generally entail beyond the minimal amount of risk (assumed by a traditional business), and potentially involving values besides simply economic ones. An entreprene ...

. The couple has a son, Himalaya.

Collections

Rist's work is held in the permanent collections of museums and galleries including the

, the

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, often referred to as The Guggenheim, is an art museum at 1071 Fifth Avenue between 88th and 89th Street (Manhattan), 89th Streets on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City. It hosts a permanent coll ...

, the San Francisco MoMA, and the Utrecht Centraal Museum. Her installation, '' TV-Lüster'', is on permanent display at the

Kunstmuseum St. Gallen Kunstmuseum St. Gallen (English: ''Art Museum St. Gallen''), is a Swiss art museum founded in 1877 and located in St. Gallen, Switzerland. It is an important museum within Eastern Switzerland because of their expansive European art collection. ...

Influence on other artists

'' Ever Is Over All'' was referenced in 2016 by

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most Cultural impact of Beyoncé, ...

in the film accompanying her album ''

Lemonade Lemonade is a sweetened lemon-flavored drink. There are many varieties of lemonade found throughout the world. In some parts of the world, lemonade refers to an un-carbonated, traditionally, homemade drink, using lemon juice, water, and a sw ...

'' in which the singer is seen walking down a city street smashing windows of parked cars with a baseball bat.

Works

Architectural Art and Public Art

* since 1995: ''Flying Room.'' Video projection on the ceiling of the

UBS UBS Group AG (stylized simply as UBS) is a multinational investment bank and financial services firm founded and based in Switzerland, with headquarters in both Zurich and Basel. It holds a strong foothold in all major financial centres as the ...

entrance hall, Buchs, St. Gallen * 2000 and 2017: ''Open my Glade.'' Video installation on

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

* since 2001: ''Ein Blatt im Wind'' (A Leaf in the Wind). Swiss Embassy Berlin, Germany * since 2005: ''Stadtlounge'' (City lounge). Square and street design in St. Gallen, cooperation with Carlos Martinez * since 2010: Ceiling installation in the restaurant Le Loft on 18th floor of the

Sofitel Sofitel Hotels & Resorts is a French hotel chain of luxury hotels based in Paris, France, and owned by Accor since 1980. Founded in 1964 in France, Sofitel quickly developed worldwide to reach more than 200 properties. In 2008, Sofitel became a b ...

Hotel (Nouvel Tower),

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

* since 2014: ''Münsteranerin.'' Permanent video installation in the entrance area of the Museum für Kunst und Kultur in

Münster Münster (; ) is an independent city#Germany, independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a ...

, Germany * since 2016: '' Monochrome Rose.'' Streetcar train in pink,

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

* since 2020: ''Tastende Lichter'' (Inching lights). Permanent video installation on the façade of

Kunsthaus Zürich The Kunsthaus Zürich is an art museum in Zurich. It is the biggest art museum in Switzerland by area and houses one of the most important art collections in Switzerland, assembled over time by the Zürcher Kunstgesellschaft, a nonprofit art soc ...

Audio and Video art

* 1986: '' I’m Not The Girl Who Misses Much'' * 1988: ''Das Zimmer (1994/2000)(Entlastungen) Pipilottis Fehler'' * 1992/1999: ''Eine Spitze in den Westen – ein Blick in den Osten (bzw. N-S) (A Peek Into The West – A Look Into The East)'' * 1992: '' Pickelporno'' * 1993: ''Blutraum (Blood room)'' * 1993: ''Eindrücke verdauen (Digesting Impressions)'' * 1993: ''Schminktischlein mit Feedback (Little Make-Up Table With Feedback)'' * 1993: '' TV-Lüster'' * 1994/99: ''Cintia'' * 1994/2000/2007: '' Das Zimmer (The Room)'' * 1994: '' Selbstlos im Lavabad'' * 1994: ''Yoghurt On Skin – Velvet On TV'' * 1995: ''Search Wolken / Suche Clouds (elektronischer Heiratsantrag) (Search Wolken / Such Clouds (Electronic Marriage Proposal))'' * 1996: '' Sip My Ocean (Schlürfe meinen Ozean)'' * 1997: '' Ever Is Over All'' * 1998: ''Blauer Leibesbrief (Blue Bodily Lettre)'' * 1999/2001, 2007, 2009: ''Kleines Vorstadthirn (Small Suburb Brain)'' * 1999: ''Himalaya Goldsteins Stube (Himalaya Goldstein’s Living Room)'' * 2000: ''Öffne meine Lichtung (Open my Glade (Flatten))'' * 2000: ''Himalaya’s Sister’s Living Room'' * 2000: ''Peeping Freedom Shutters for Olga Shapir'' * 2000/2001: ''Supersubjektiv (Super Subjective)'' * 2001/2005: ''Wach auf (Despierta)'' * 2001: ''Expecting'' * 2002: ''Der Kuchen steht in Flammen (The Cake is in Flames)'' * 2003: ''Apfelbaum unschuldig auf dem Diamantenhügel (Apple Tree Innocent On Diamond Hill) (Manzano inocente en la colina de diamantes)'' * 2004: ''Herz aufwühlen Herz ausspülen (Stir Heart Rinse Heart)'' * 2005: ''Eine Freiheitsstatue für Löndön (A Liberty Statue for Löndön)'' * 2005: ''

Homo Sapiens Sapiens Human taxonomy is the classification of the human species within zoological taxonomy. The systematic genus, ''Homo'', is designed to include both anatomically modern humans and extinct varieties of archaic humans. Current humans are classified ...

'' * 2006: ''Celle selbst zu zweit'', by Gutararist aka

Gudrun Gut Gudrun Gut (born 20 May 1957) is a German electronic musician, DJ, presenter, music producer and founder of the Monika Enterprise record label. She grew up in the Lüneburg Heath, Lüneburger Heide and moved to West Berlin in 1975, where she st ...

& Pipilotti Rist * 2007: ''Ginas Mobile (Gina’s Mobile)'' * 2008: ''Erleuchte (und kläre) meinen Raum (Enlight My Space )'' * 2011: ''Cape Cod Chandelier'' * 2014: '' Worry Will Vanish Horizon'' * 2015: ''Wir verwurzeln (Seelenfarben)'' * 2016: ''Pixelwald'' * 2016: ''4th Floor To Mildness'' * 2017: ''Caressing Dinner Circle (Tender Roundelay Family) 5er table'' * 2018: ''Sparkling Pond, Bold-Coloured Groove & Tender Fire (Please Walk In And Let The Colors Caress You)'' * 2020: ''Fritzflasche (The Bottle of Fritz'') * 2023: '' Hand Me Your Trust''

Feature Film

* 2009: '' Pepperminta''

Recognition

* 1997 – Renta Preis of the Kunsthalle Nürnberg * 1998 – Nomination for the

Hugo Boss Prize The Hugo Boss Prize was an award given every other year to an artist (or group of artists) working in any medium, anywhere in the world. Upon its establishment in 1996, it distinguished itself from other art awards because it has no restrictions on ...

* 1999 – Wolfgang Hahn Prize * 2003 – Honorary Professorship from

Berlin University of the Arts The Universität der Künste Berlin (UdK; also known in English as the Berlin University of the Arts), situated in Berlin, Germany, is the second largest art school in Europe. It is a public art and design school, and one of the four research uni ...

* 2006 – Guggenheim Museums Young Collector's Council Annual Artist's Ball honouring Pipilotti Rist * 2007 – St. Galler Kulturpreis der St. Gallischen Kulturstiftung * 2009 – Special Award, Seville European Film Festival * 2009 –

Joan Miró Joan Miró i Ferrà ( , ; ; 20 April 1893 – 25 December 1983) was a Catalan Spanish painter, sculptor and Ceramic art, ceramist. A museum dedicated to his work, the Fundació Joan Miró, was established in his native city of Barcelona ...

Prize,

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

* 2009 – Best Exhibition Of Digital, Video, or Film: "Pour Your Body Out (7354 Cubic Meters)" at

, New York. 26th annual awards, The International Association of Art Critics (AICA) * 2010 – Cutting the Edge Award,

Miami International Film Festival The Miami Film Festival, formerly Miami International Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Miami, Florida, each March. Since 2015 the festival also runs a smaller Fall Festival, known as the Miami Film Festival GEMS, which presents ...

* 2011 – Best Architects '11 Award * 2012 – Bazaar Art, International Artist of the Year, Hong Kong, China * 2013 – Zurich Festival Prize, Zürcher Festpiele * 2014 – Baukoma Awards for Marketing and Architecture, Best Site Development * 2021 – Elected Honorary Royal Academician (HonRA) on 9 September 2021 * 2024 – Culture Prize of the

Canton of Zürich The canton of Zurich is an administrative unit (Swiss canton, canton) of Switzerland, situated in the northeastern part of the country. With a population of (as of ), it is the most populous canton of Switzerland. Zurich is the ''de facto'' Capi ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rist, Pipilotti Swiss contemporary artists Swiss video artists 1962 births Living people Swiss women artists People from St. Gallen (city) University of Applied Arts Vienna alumni 20th-century Swiss artists 21st-century Swiss artists Swiss installation artists Public art