Pedro Wirz

Pedro Wirz is a multidisciplinary artist who works in sculpture, mixed media, and installation. He draws inspiration from the traditional folklore of the Paraíba Valley region in Brazil, where he grew up, to explore the mysteries of the world. His work is influenced by the region's rapidly changing ecologies, demographics, mythologies, and superstitions. Raised by a biologist and agronomist who researched the impact of polluted water on DNA alteration within the region, Wirz's work merges the supernatural with scientific realities.

Wirz's work embodies the Gaia principle, which proposes that organisms collectively interact, adapt, and perpetually evolve, depending on one another. The cocoons and eggs in his work represent 'interbeings,' rising from the Earth's essence to embrace the unpredictable. Collaboration is an essential aspect of Wirz's process, as he draws on networks of communities and various types of popular and folkloric knowledge to inspire and influence his work.

Wirz's recent solo exhibitions include Termite Terminator at Marc Selwyn Fine Art in Los Angeles and Sour Ground at Kai Matsumiya Gallery in New York. His work has been presented in group exhibitions at various institutions worldwide, including the Tinguely Museum, Kunsthalle Basel, and Palais de Tokyo. Wirz has participated in several collaborative curatorial projects and artist residencies, including the Junge Akademie - Akademie der Künste in Berlin and the Swiss Institute in Rome.

He has received numerous accolades, including the ProHelvetia Cahier d'Artistes Prize in 2018 and the Gramercy International Prize Exhibition at the Armory Show in New York in 2020.