transients
A PROJECT BY CÉLINE MANZ
transients
Transients is a project by Céline Manz that weaves together autobiographical research and collective memory. The artist, an adoptee, retraces the journey of her biological father, who migrated from Ankara to Zurich in the 1970s by train. With this process, Manz initiates an inquiry into the socio-psychological conditions faced by Turkish undocumented workers in Switzerland during that era.
cÉline manz
*1981, lives and works in Basel (Switzerland)
As a research-based artist, Céline Manz explores power structures and cultural systems through a mix of theory, archives, and hands-on studio work. She blends in-depth research with physical experimentation, aiming to deconstruct her own and the audience's perceptions in order to re-enact and reflect on complex themes. Describing her method as “forensic performative,” she brings research to life through auditory, tactile and embodied insight — creating layered works that connect personal experience with broader social narratives.
Céline Manz is a graduate of the Royal College of Art in London and the Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam, her work explores fragmented narratives, feminist archival gestures, and the unstable status of images across time and media. She’s the founder of STUDIO 47 PRESS, an artist-run publishing platform dedicated to multiples and small editions.
Her recent solo exhibitions include Carte Blanche at L’Aubette 1928 in Strasbourg (2024), Vessels at DOCK in Basel (2024), and 9 espaces distincts at Kunsthaus Langenthal (2020). Manz’s work has been shown internationally in group exhibitions such as the Swiss Art Awards in Basel (2024), 'We are so many here' Kunsthalle Basel (2022), 'Unraveling Frequencies, at MeetFactory in Prag, Channeling at Frieze London (2023), Annemarie von Matt – Je ne m’ennuie pas, on m’ennuie at the Centre culturel suisse in Paris (2020), and The London Open at Whitechapel Gallery (2018). Among others, she is the recipient of the 'Regionale'- prize by Basler Kunstverein (2022), the 'Swiss Kids Award 2024' (CH) the 'Studio Makers Prize 2019' (GB) and the '3Package Deal' by Amsterdam Fund for the Arts AFFK (2014).
Her projects are part of several public collections, including Basler Kunstverein, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, and the National Library of the Netherlands.
