Denise Bertschi at the 2026 Gwangju Biennale State Fictions: Beyond Blossoms and Borders

At the 16th Gwangju Biennale, Denise Bertschi presents State Fictions: Beyond Blossoms and Borders in the Swiss Pavilion, commissioned by Pro Helvetia and curated by the Swiss Cultural Centre in Paris. Based on her long-term research project STATE FICTION, developed since 2013, the exhibition explores Switzerland’s presence in the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) through photographic and film archives produced by Swiss military personnel between the 1950s and 1970s.

Drawing on materials preserved at the Am Guisanplatz Library, the exhibition examines questions of neutrality, memory and representation. Through films, photographs, textile works and historical documents, it invites visitors to reflect on the role of images in shaping political narratives and on the lasting impact of archives on our understanding of both past and present.

© Denise Bertschi, film still State Fiction. Neutral Only on the Outside, 2021