Rahel Oberhummer describes her almost animistic fascination with anthropogenic-influenced ecosystems as “something akin to devotion”. The early-career artist has already earned acclaim for Unearthed, a project completed with input from scientists that explores the captivating yet deeply concerning process by which micro-organisms trapped in permafrost are reawakening. Traces of Disappearance is conceived as a “monument and witness” to Switzerland’s lost glaciers. It consists of an expanse of small, gravestone-like markers: marble offcuts – in various shades of white, like the colour of the shrinking ice itself – that once were. According to a study by ETH Zurich, Switzerland lost half of its glacial ice between 1931 and 2016, and the pace of retreat is accelerating. The work, a collaborative effort with researcher Dr Andreas Bauder, is both a memorial to Switzerland’s glacial history and a stark reminder of the sheer number of glaciers that have been lost forever.

Rahel Oberhummer was born in Loèche-les-Bains, Switzerland, in 1991. She studied at the Billy Blue College of Design (Sydney, Australia); the Lucerne School of Design, Film and Art (Switzerland); the Royal Danish Academy (Copenhagen, Denmark); and HEAD – Genève (Switzerland), where she won a HEAD Prize in 2017. Oberhummer works as a researcher at the juncture of art and science, collaborating with experts in selected fields of interest. She lives in Vevey.

Rahel Oberhummer, Traces of Disappearance, 2024 © Bernisches Historisches Museum. Photo: Christine Moor