Liv Burkhard – If Not Here, Then Where

With «If Not Here, Then Where», Liv Burkhard brings a quietly melancholic melody to Balgrist. Fifteen photographs evoke memories and speak of walks on summer evenings, of being together and being alone, of being on the move — perhaps of the simple act of being itself. Seemingly incidental snapshots unfold alongside detailed studies of nature and allegorical scenes, forming a harmony that is moving without ever becoming ingratiating.

Liv Burkhard (*1998) grew up in the rural canton of Thurgau and has lived in Lucerne since 2019, where she completed the Camera Arts programme at Lucerne University of the Arts in 2022. Her photographic and video-based works explore the desire to escape reality, both as a personal experience and as a broader social phenomenon.

For the past ten years, changing photographic exhibitions have enriched the entrance halls and public areas of University Hospital Balgrist as part of its collaboration with the Swiss Foundation for Photography. The Foundation proposes artists to the hospital’s art commission and oversees the conception and realisation of each exhibition. A selection of the works presented becomes part of the Balgrist Collection, offering glimpses into a wide range of photographic worlds throughout the clinic’s corridors and waiting areas.