Pia Kühnemann

Pia Kühnemann (born 1994) is an artist with roots in rural tradition who lives in St. Moritz. In her work, she explores aspects of human existence and the relationship between humans and nature. Growing up as the daughter of a beekeeper and a computer scientist, she came into contact with nature and knowledge of plants and materials at an early age, while at the same time developing an analytical, inquiring mind. These two influences – an intuitive closeness to nature and a precise, experimental approach – shape her artistic practice.

She creates her work in a state of deep immersion, in which action and perception merge. This idea is reflected in organic structures and intuitive, deliberately imperfect lines that reveal the creative process and invite the viewer to participate in it. Kühnemann works with materials she produces herself, in particular beeswax, which she uses raw or dyed black, as well as other natural substances from the Engadin landscape. She deliberately avoids using artificial tools so as not to interrupt the connection between humans and nature.

Her work focuses on the spontaneous interplay between humans and nature, in which materials develop their own structures and enter into an aesthetic dialogue. In addition to her material-based practice, she uses sgraffito elements as a reference to the ornamental architectural culture of the Engadin region and combines these with experimental methods. The result is works that mediate between the past and the present and are driven by a strong desire for authenticity.