Friedrich Dürrenmatt – Collective. 30 artists Neuchâtel – Berlin

In what way can the writer and painter Friedrich Dürrenmatt inspire the next generation of artists? Artistic legacy is at the heart of an ambitious project born of a collaboration between the CDN and Berlin University of the Arts (UdK), culminating in the exhibition “Friedrich Dürrenmatt – Collectif”.

From 2023 to 2025, three cohorts of young artists studying at the UdK or at the Académie de Meuron, école d’arts visuels à Neuchâtel (ACA) took part in an artist residency at the CDN. The programme included painting classes with Valérie Favre, workshops on lithography – a technique practiced by Friedrich Dürrenmatt, visits and conferences, but also time to discuss, share and explore ideas.

This prolific exchange has given rise to works featuring an impressive variety of approaches and outlooks. The exhibition showcases the works created by the 30 young artists from all walks of life in the form of paintings, drawings, sculptures, videos, performances, audio works, prints and photographs. Their works, considered in association with Dürrenmatt’s, reveal unique creative approaches, while also highlighting a certain continuity in the questions that artists ask about the world from one generation to the next.