In the garden of Villa Schöningen, the work “Scarecrow / Vogelscheuche (pink boy)” (2020) by David Renggli is on display during the lockdown.
The artist’s work is inspired by classic scarecrows. Renggli himself describes his obsession with them: “Even when I was younger, I was fascinated by scarecrows because I see them as sculptures – they are an imitation of humans, but the sculptures have a completely different meaning in a funny sense … where the audience is the birds.” Renggli’s work is infused with humor and poetry, manifested in the form of sculptures and conceptual painting. He designs complex, intermedial productions and acts as a versatile media artist. His works often involve appropriations of everyday or culturally inherited visual languages, referencing ancient sculptures as well as images from the world of the press.

David Renggli (born 1974) lives and works in Zurich, Switzerland, and Texas, USA. He studied at the Zurich School of Applied Arts and the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam. He has participated in numerous exhibitions both in Germany and abroad, including institutions and galleries such as Wentrup in Berlin, Migros Museum in Zurich, Kunsthalle Freiburg in Freiburg, Museum Kunstraum Baden in Baden, Tate Britain in London, Museum Bellpark in Kriens, Sammlung Philara in Düsseldorf, Rosenblum Collection in Paris, Associaziane Barriera in Turin, and Kunsthalle St. Gallen in St. Gallen.