We are delighted to explore the intersection of art and psyche in our exhibition space in Zurich, presented through an exhibition and various events.

The exploration of self, one’s psyche, and the body it inhabits is a central theme in both the visual arts and psychotherapy. Since the Renaissance, the self-portrait has been a key motif in painting, and from the mid-20th century, it has also become prominent in photography.

The concept of the self also played a significant role in 20th-century psychology. Introduced by psychoanalytic ego psychologist Heinz Hartmann, the idea of the self supplemented Sigmund Freud’s structural model of the psyche (id, ego, and superego). Particularly in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s, Heinz Kohut in Chicago developed self-psychology, a contemporary form of psychoanalytic treatment further advanced by Otto Kernberg. In contrast to Freud’s mechanistic, individualistic drive theory—which can, perhaps unknowingly, objectify the patient—self-psychology examines individuals as relational beings shaped by connections from their very first days of life.

In the new millennium, the “selfie” has become a dominant mode of communication and the most prevalent image motif of our time. We invite you to post your own selfie on Instagram @tichyocean and become part of the exhibition.

Most works in this exhibition come from the tichyocean collection. Curated by Roman Buxbaum, the selection highlights the theme of the self. For artists such as Jürgen Klauke, Urs Lüthi, Anna and Bernhard Blume, Peter Weibel, and Jiří Kovanda in Prague, “self-performances” became a pioneering artistic topos as early as the 1960s and 70s. These early explorations of photographic self-examination serve as the foundation of the exhibition. They are enriched by contemporary art positions and by Art Brut, with figures like Pierre Molinier and August Walla, whose works were sources of inspiration for the nascent photographic “self-performers” of the 1970s.