PREVIEW: Oliver Ressler-Scenes from the Invention of Democracy
For many years, Oliver Resslerhas been operating at the interface between art and activism, engaging with subjects including democracy, work, migration and ecology – fields that are closely interwoven and substantially exposed to the impacts of globalisation and capitalism. He focuses his critical gaze on political systems, the Influence of economics, and how we are treating our planet in the context of the climate emergency.
By Dimitris Lempesis
Photo: Museum Tinquely Archive
“Scenes from the Invention of Democracy” is the first major solo exhibition in Switzerland by Oliver Ressler. The exhibition presents works made between 2009 and 2025, including “What is Democracy?” and “We Are the Forest Enclosed by the Wall” that encourage people to critically question the status quo and power relations, while also highlighting options for bringing about change. A diverse programme of events deals with the issues touched on in his works; individuals featured in his films will visit the museum to situate these issues within the current political and social context.. In his works, Ressler focuses on political, social and ecological issues and documents acts of civil disobedience, observing them from a position of solidarity. In his view, rather than it being necessary to put up with social wrongs, there are ways to actively oppose them. He encourages people to think about existing power structures, and about ways to push for change in politics and society. The exhibition consists of four video works that offer a vivid demon stration of Ressler’s artistic practice. n consists of four video works that offer a vivid demonstration of Ressler’s artistic practice. The 8-channel video installation “What is Democracy?” (2009) is based on interviews with activists and political analysts from eighteen cities all over the world. The question posed by the title turns out to be ambiguous: Are the prevailing forms of representative and direct democracy truly democratic? Are there alternative, more democratic models? And what might their organisational structures look like? The work opens up a wide range of perspectives that even years later have lost none of their relevance. On the contrary, at a time when there is ever more talk of a “crisis of democracy”, Ressler’s installation provides food for thought. “Anubumin” (2017) focuses on the Pacific island of Nauru. Created in collaboration with Australian artist Zanny Begg, the film addresses the environmental and economic consequences of decades of phosphate mining on the island as well as the way it is being used now, including as a refugee internment camp run by the Australian government. The film’s combination of interviews with whistleblowers and a poetic narrative style serves to address colonial continuities and systematic human rights violations.
“Not Sinking, Swarming” (2021) tells of a meeting of various campaign groups belonging to the climate movement in the run-up to a direct action protest in Madrid. The video offers a rare glimpse of what the organisation of such large-scale acts of civil disobedience entails and shows just how complex it can be. The subjects discussed include strategy, training and the wording of demands as well as the importance of legal assistance, dialogue with the police and financial aspects. The participants in the video are anonymised to shield them from prosecution. The work derives its unique visuals from its superimposition of footage of the direct action itself that saw hundreds of activists blocking a highway overpass. Ressler’s latest work, presented here for the first time, also deals with protest. “We Are the Forest “Enclosed, by the Wall” (2025) focuses attention on the planned expansion of the Nardo Technical Centre (NTC), a giant high-speed test circuit for luxury cars operated by Porsche Engineering in Apulia. The project threatened a centuries-old forest located inside the circuit, an ecosystem of great importance to this drought-stricken region of Italy. The film features inter views with local residents and activists who have joined forces as the “Custodians of Arneo Forest”, resisting both the expansion itself and the expropriation of land that was to be used for the reforestation planned by Porsche to compensate for the clearance of 200 hectares – a project with extremely little chance of success on account of high salt levels in the groundwater. This situation shows how wealthy companies that promise to boost the economy can influence political decisions, with irreversible damage to the environment being accepted as collateral. As in “Not Sinking, Swarming,” Ressler works with a special visual idiom: the speakers are anonymised by concealing them behind footage of the forest. As well as symbolizing the inextricable interdependence of humans and nature, this also shows that protesters in democratic systems are increasingly at risk of being prosecuted for their actions. In Italy, using the “anti-Ghandi” security bill passed in 2025, civil disobedience may now be punished with lengthy prison sentences. But the film also offers hope, because the resistance was successful: on 27 March 2025, Porsche announced its decision not to realize the project.
Photo: Oliver Ressler, We Are the Forest Enclosed by the Wall , 2025, 4K video, © ProLitteris, Zurich, Courtesy of the artist, àngels barcelona
Info: Curator: Tabea Panizzi, Assistant Curator: Nils Lange, Museum Tinguely, Paul Sacher-Anlage 1, Basel, Switzerland, Duration: 24/9/2025-1/3/2026, Days & Hours: Tue-Wed & Fri-Sun 11:00-18:00, Thu 11:00-21:00, www.tinguely.ch/
