Zofingen exhibition turns wolves into mirrors of human fears
Saturday 12th September 2026 on 17:01 in
Switzerland
An exhibition at the Kunsthaus Zofingen art museum explores why wolves have fascinated people for centuries, rather than focusing on the animal’s role in political debates. SRF reports that “The Wolf in Contemporary Art” presents the wolf as a symbol of fear, wilderness, freedom and threat.
Fifteen life-size wooden wolves by Nidwalden sculptor Rochus Lussi greet visitors on the ground floor. Some howl, others play, while others appear to watch their surroundings. The visible chainsaw marks give the sculptures a raw yet lifelike quality.
Lussi says the wolves also reflect the relationship between humans and predators. “Is the human the wolf’s victim? Or perhaps the wolf is the human’s victim?” he asks.
Across the exhibition, the wolf appears in oil paintings, drawings, prints and installations. It is shown as threatening, vulnerable or fairytale-like. In a series by Bern artist Andrea Nyffeler, Little Red Riding Hood appears in different roles and looks directly at visitors.
The exhibition offers little information about the wolf as an animal. That is deliberate: the works leave room for visitors to form their own thoughts and interpretations.
Chantale Demierre’s installation “Roll Wolves” addresses the conflict between nature conservation, hunting and human interests. It consists of 46 clay pigeon targets used in the hunting discipline known as “rolling hare”. The artist has drawn a wolf in pencil on each target. Together, they represent the 46 wolves shot in Switzerland in 2024.
Sophie Schmidt’s installation “Hunting Law” enlarges the Swiss hunting law across 16 large-format pages. The oversized pages highlight how the wolf is shaped not only by perceptions of it as an animal, but also by regulations and political debates.
Visitors may leave the Kunsthaus without a new opinion about wolves, but with a different view of them. The exhibition presents an animal that is often known in Switzerland primarily as a political issue from an artistic and aesthetic perspective.