In Château-d’Oex, the open-air paper cutting exhibition Le Grand des Marques – Erde und Natur has been opened with large-format reproductions. Evergreens and a green waves as well as tradition and modernity meet in exciting ways. The viewing of the exhibiton has to be earned over a two-hour circuit, but it is worth the effort.

For three years now, the openair paper cutting exhibition has been running under the name Le Grand des Marques, which refers to Johann Jakob Hauswirth (1809-1871), known as the “great master of bookmarks”, the old master and father of traditional paper cutting in the region.

The mysterious folk artist, charcoal burner and woodcutter received this name in the Pays-d’Enhaut because in return for hospitality on the farms he cut paper bookmarks of incomparable beauty for the family bibles. The 2020/21 edition of the exhibit is dedicated to the theme Erde und Natur (Earth and Nature).

Many facets
Since 2018, the exhibition of large-format reproductions has been inaugurated at the same time as the Paper Cutting Days, which have become a fixture in the destination’s annual programme. Although the latter had to be cancelled this year, the presentation of the large-scale works of art could take place as planned since it takes place outdoors. Spread over the whole village, paper cuttings by 27 Swiss and French artists are exhibited, some in places with magnificent mountain views, such as on the Colline du Temple – the church hill. With competence, verve and humour, Monique Buri, vice-president of the Swiss paper cutting association Scherenschnitt Schweiz, led the visitors through the various stations at the opening event. “In addition to the typical theme of Alpine transhumance that Hauswirth is well-known for, paper cutting has many facets and can be interpreted in many different ways,” she said in her introductory words.

Existential questions
In this sense, the collection includes not only evergreens that represent an intact Alpine world with traditional farming and hunting scenes – represented by artists from the region such as Pierre Mottier, Marianne Dubuis, Regina Martin and Marc Schweizer – but also more modern creations that address issues such as global warming and environmental protection. Jacques Bergholz from Geneva, for example, illustrates the trauma of global fires and global warming; Anne-Dominique Brandt from Strasbourg focuses on the regeneration of the earth; or Camille Peitsch from Lausanne ponders the existential question of what the earth will be like tomorrow.

In the sweat of the brow
The exhibition is organised by Pays-d’Enhaut Région in partnership with the Musée du Pays-d’Enhaut and the municipality of Château-d’Oex. It is open to the public free of charge until 25 April 2021. However, you will have to work up a sweat, as the attractive circuit takes just under two hours to complete on foot, but all the paths are easily accessible and it is definitely worth the effort! A bilingual brochure with descriptions and a route plan is available at the tourist office in Château-d’Oex.

BASED ON AVS/MARTIN GURTNER-DUPERREX

The exhibition is open to the public until 25 April 2021.
https://www.chateau-doex.ch/en/P31268/le-grand-des-marques-terre-nature