Swaantje Güntzel

Her work addresses the alienated relationship between humanity and nature. She exposes the inconsistencies of our actions and the hypocrisy of our value system, drawing attention to the unthinking exploitation of animals and the environment in the industrialised global economy.

For several years now she has been dealing with the various facets of anthropogenic pollution of the oceans with an emphasis on phenomena such as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (garbage vortex in the Pacific Ocean), the emergence of the „plastisphere“ and microplastics. Recently she has started to work on human generated noise pollution of the oceans and its impact on marine fauna.

Much of her work is inspired by scientific research.

She works across a range of different disciplines such as performance, sculpture, installation, photography, sound and video.

• Education 
• 1994 – 2001 Master of Arts in Anthropology - University of Bonn - DE
• 2005 – 2007 Postgraduate Studies Fine Art - School of Fine Arts - Hamburg - DE
• 2005 – 2008 Assistant to Andreas Slominski 
• Solo Exhibitions
• 2020
• PLASTISPHERE/Church - Lutherkirche Osnabrück - DE
• 2018
• Loops - Alte Steingiesserei Plochingen - Plochingen - DE
• coffee to go - Goethe-Institut Paris - FR
• Solastaglia - Syker Vorwerk - Syke - DE
• Plastic Fallout - Bernheimer Contemporary - Berlin - DE
• 2017
• Hidden by the surface - Villa de Bank - Enschede -NL
• 2016
• Plastisphere - Goethe-Institut Thessaloniki - Thessaloniki - GR
• 2014
• Spring Cleaning II - Fårö - SE
• Persona - On-Screen GROUND - Nicosia - Cyprus - CY
• Aktion #31 Plastisphäre - Kunstraum 2025 - Hamburg - DE
• 2013
• Plastisphere, PAiN - Performance Art i Norr -Västerbotten - SE
• BLUMENSCHIESSEN II - Austrian Sculpturenpark - Graz - AT
• Larmes de sirène - SchauRaum Harburg - Harburg - DE
• 2012
• BLUMENSCHIESSEN - Galerie Dynamo Expo - Enschede - NL
• BLUMENSCHIESSEN - GrensWerte Euregio - Borderland D - NL
• Instant Pets, gadeWe - Galerie des Westens - Bremen - DE
• Solstice Fern PAiN - Performance Art i Norr - Norrbotten - SE
• 2011
• Spring Cleaning - Ingmar Bergman Estate - Fårö - SE
• 2010
• Survival Gardening - X-Bunker Sonderborg - Sonderborg - DK
• Anthropozän - Joachim Rong Galerie - Berlin - DE
• 2007
• The Age of Plastic - GalerieXprssns - Hamburg - DE
• Group Exhibitions
• 2019
• Maskottchentreffen - Salon Erika - Winterthur - CH
• RESET* Landpartie/mixed arts - Münsterland - DE
• Examples to follow! Touring Exhibition on aesthetics and sustainability - Erfurt - DE
• Science Fiction Festival - Ahlen - DE
• PRESERVED//Grünkohl, DA - Kunsthaus Kloster Gravenhorst & selected locations in Westphalia - DE
• Deep Sea - Ystads Konstmuseum - Ystads - SE
• Saisonale - Kunsthaus Kloster Gravenhorst - Hörstel - DE
• 2018
• Deep Sea - Städtische Galerie - Bremen - DE
• Drehmoment - KulturRegion - Stuttgart - DE
• KiddyRideFun - Galerie Holthoff-Mokross - Hamburg - DE 
• Ansbach Contemporary - Ansbach - DE 
• Wonderland I - Bernheimer Contemporary - Berlin - DE
• Examples to follow! - Touring Exhibition on aesthetics and sustainability - Bonn - DE 
• 2017
• Actopolis - Old Slaughterhouse - Thessaloniki - GR
• Material Boys & Girls - Bernheimer Contemporary - Berlin - DE
• Gross Stadt Dschungel - Bunkerhill Galerie - Hamburg - DE
• Millerntor Gallery #7 - Hamburg - DE
• Survival Gardening - Kloster Bentlage - Rheine - DE
• Mixed Realities - Bernheimer Contemporary - Berlin - DE
• 50 Contemporary Artists by Enter Art Foundation - Multipolster - Berlin - DE
• 2016
• When did we stop playing? - ART350 - Anna Laudel Contemporary - Istanbul - TR
• Plastic : Material without Memory - Künstlerhaus FRISE - Hamburg - DE
• Y : WHY ? - Bernheimer Contemporary - Berlin - DE
• Plastic Obsession - UBA/Umweltbundesamt - Dessau - DE
• Plastic Fantastic ? - Honolulu Museum of Art - Hawaii - USA    
• Awards & Grants 
• 2019
• Project Grant KunstKommunikation - DA Kloster Gravenhorst - DE 
• Project Funding Regionale Kulturpolitik - Münsterland - DE
• Project Funding - Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe Kulturabteilung - Lippe - DE  
• 2015
• ars loci 2015 Art Awar - Neuhoff-Fricke Foundation for the Promotion of Arts and Science   - Cologne - DE           
• 2013
• Research Grant - Danish Arts Foundation - DK
• 2009
• Project Grant - Goethe Institut  - Schwäbisch Hall - DE
• 2004
• Project Grant - Goethe Institut - La Paz - BO
• Residencies 
• 2016
• Residency Glasslåven - Gran - NO
• #1 ARTECITYA - Goethe-Institut - Thessaloniki - GR
• 2015 
• Artist in Residence Ricklundgården - Saxnäs - SE
• 2013
• Artist in Residence - Platform Vaasa - FI
• Artist in Residency - RONDO - Graz - AT
• 2011
• Artist in Residence - Ingmar Bergman Estate - Fårö - SE
• DIVA (Danish International Visiting Artists Exchange Programme) - Danish Arts Council - DK
• 2010
• Artist in Residence - kunstGarten - Graz - AT