Year: 2011  
Material/Technique: Larch wood, chrome steel, lacquer 

Novartis commissioned this gigantic sculpture to the artist to renovate the façade of Forum 2, where the Novartis Day Care Center is located. At first sight, the new ‘face’ of the building consists of colorful lines that meander over the façade. There are also some birds made of chrome steel.

Eventually, the lines transform into a sculpture placed on the terrace with a chrome steel tiger aside. With its huge size, the whole construction might be some sort of ‘monster’, but the children can really work their way through the building and when they reach the terrace, the ‘monster’ turns out to be quite a friendly being becoming a playful companion for their games. 

The sculpture was made of solid larch wood from sustainable culture in Engadin and the trees were cut in a local sawmill specifically for this project. The sculpture was later produced in the artist’s workshop in Zürich.  

Seiler’s plan was to create something that would ‘speak’ to the children very directly and would make it easier for them to make good use of the site. The name of the artwork Tyger Tyger refers to a poem by William Blake, first published in his collection ‘Songs of Experience’ in 1794.

Artist

Kerim Seiler studied in Zürich, Geneva and Hamburg and today lives and works in Zürich, Berlin and Johannesburg.
 
Seiler’s wide-ranging practice — installation, sculpture, painting and drawing — has sought to challenge the boundaries between art, science and popular culture.

He explores the uncertainty at the core of human experience; love, life, death, loyalty and betrayal through unexpected and unconventional media. Best known in Switzerland for Kerims Lampenladen a 250-meter-long permanent neon light installation suspended from the celling of Zurich's main train station, his works recast fundamental questions concerning the meaning of life and the fragility of biological existence. 

Seiler’s work has been exhibited worldwide – in Moscow, Cairo, Zurich, New York, Berlin, Paris, Los Angeles and Johannesburg.