Globus Public Art Project. Urs Fischer: Skinny Sunrise

For the third edition of the “Globus Public Art Project”, Los Angeles-based Swiss artist Urs Fischer presents interventions on the façade of the Globus department store, as well as at several nearby locations—from Basel’s historic Marktplatz to the so-called Totenhüsli, a former ossuary once attached to a church.

For this project, Fischer—internationally recognised for the intricacy and wit of his provocative sculptures and installations—draws inspiration from Basel’s medieval “Totentanz” (Dance of Death), an iconic symbol of the inescapability of death and its presence in everyday life. He reinterprets these motifs in a contemporary artistic language that confronts viewers with their own mortality.

The works include a self-portrait made of candle wax, skeleton sculptures inspired by art history and contemporary culture, and a newly commissioned piece for the department store’s façade.

As part of the three-year renovation of its iconic department store on Basel’s historic market square, Globus is collaborating with the Fondation Beyeler to invite artists to conceive and realise site-specific artworks.