Aebischer, Monika

Born in Switzerland in 1968, Monika Aebischer arrived in Canada in 1987.  She graduated fro the Ontario College of Art and Design as an honours student in 1999, and was awarded both the Governor General’s Medal and the Ontario College of Art and Design Medal from the Printmaking Department.

Although during her studies she focused on fibre arts (papermaking, surface design, weaving), book arts and sculpture, since 2001 Aebischer has focused on creating fine art that is sold through select galleries and juried public art shows.  She has maintained an art studio in downtown Toronto since 1997.

Her works are driven by textured, layered surfaces, which speak of the passage of time, transformation and survival. Personal symbols used in the work are not the familiar emblems of mainstream iconography, but intensely personal, private, obscure and ambiguous references. The imagery depicts interpretation of more than specific cultures – it represents universal human experiences.

Much of Aebischer’s work is covered with a thick resin coating that acts as a separator between the viewer and the work – the same way as our current society separates itself from each other through the loss of ritual and tradition, but a with a focus on consumerism.

Artworks are in private collections in Canada, Switzerland, Hong Kong, Greece, Spain, Germany, and the USA; in corporate collections in Canada.