About me

I work with wood because it tells stories—of growth, weather, and time. Using a chainsaw, I tell tales about being human, with figures that feel raw and alive, whether they stand 30 centimetres or six metres tall. Leftover material transforms into found-wood objects, each with its rugged character. Carefully blended pigments add accents and create new layers.

My art is an encounter with life, exploring our balance between gift and challenge. It seeks those moments that make us pause – and smile with gratitude.

Marcel Bernet holzbildhauer figürlich holzskulptur sculptor figurative wood artSince 2009
Figural works are done solely with chainsaws from whole trunks, coloured with pigments—objects made of «found wood» that is collected when working on wood sculptures.

Autodidact and courses Schools for Design Basel and Zurich, Scuola di Marmo Peccia. Member of visarte.

Solo Exhibitions
2024 La vie en Rose, Villa Sommerlust Schaffhausen
2023 Lust for life, Raiffeisen Zürich
2022 Sculptures and Objects kuk! Gallery Winterthur
2022 Nicely slanted, visarte Gallery Zurich
2021 Freshly winked, Maag Music & Arts Zurich
2020 Me Stories, Bergtrotte Osterfingen
2017/2018 Between Man and Mask, Sigristenkeller Foundation and Church Hill Bulach
2017 Vis-a-vis, kuk! Gallery Winterthur
2016 Urban Life, Spirgarten Residence Zurich
2016 Transit, art clavo Savognin
2015/2016 Wondering me, Park Art Klus City of Zurich

Purchases/Works in public space
2023 «Walser Woman» and «April», 800 Years Klosters, Municipality of Klosters
2020 «Adam & Eve» and «Windy Sisters», Club 1584 Osterfingen
2019 «Madame Giraffe» and «Lion Queen», Switzerland Innovation Park Zurich, Dubendorf
2018 «Curator» and «Guarda», Bad RagARTz Foundation
2017 «Laura dreams» Church Hill City of Bulach
2015 «Walpurgis» and group of four «Arte», Klus Park City of Zurich

Art + Architecture
2020 «Guardian Twins» double sculpture, private residence Maienfeld
2020 «Smiling Tower» 6-Meter-Sculpture Headquarters Hawa Sliding Solutions, invited contest
2019 «Here &Now», Anniversary project, Campus unterstrass.edu Zurich

Group Exhibitions
2024 Live Sculpting Kunst im Depot, Winterthur
2024 Voyage, Gallery Mayer’s Kulturbad, Romanshorn
2023 Insights visarte Zurich
2023 Art at Saratz in Pontresina
2023 Werkfest Offene Ateliers Bülach
2023 L’Art au fil du Talent juried Sculpture Trail near Lausanne
2022 Best of 2022 visarte Zurich@photobastei
2022 «Bossy Cow» Macelleria d’Arte St. Gallen
2022 Kunsthaus Klosters, Artist in Residence
2022 Sculpture Garden/Indoor Show Jedlitschka Gallery
2022 Juried exhibition Art in the Forest Dietikon
2021 visarte Zurich BEST OF
2021 Art for Children art auction, Küsnacht
2021 Narrow and high, kulturschiene Herrliberg
2020 visarte zürich BEST OF 2020
2020 Sculpture Park Frauenfeld, «Balance»
2019 Sculpture Park Jedlitschka Gallery Zurich, Tour de Force
2019 openArt, Roveredo
2019 Glatt Art, Gallery Opfikon
2019 On the way, Hirslanden Klinik Basel
2018 Gallery 111 Zurich, Fascination Land
2018 Swiss Triennial Festival of Sculpture Bad RagARTz
2017 Werkfest,  Open Studios Herrenwis
2016 Sculpture path Art at Zwicky, Fällanden
2016 Art Wassberg, Maur/Forch
2016 Kings & Queens, Bülach
2015 openArt Roveredo «Gravitation»
2014 Attention: Art, Zürcher Unterland
2013 «Hommage à la vache», Gallery Macelleria d’Arte, St. Gall
2013 openArt Roveredo «Arte»
2012 openArt Roveredo «Autofocus»

2013 – 2023
Listener and facilitator of inspiration for business and life art. Individual sessions, consultations, and strategy. Training in the areas of trauma integration, systemic work, shamanic practice, and source work.

Some of my thoughts on these topics:
The source principle
Creating from seeing
Source and Self: surrender to connect
Be as you are: the coaching paradox
Where nature cares for us

1991 – 2013
Founder of Bernet Relations, active for SMEs and large companies such as IBM, Google, Swiss Re, Microsoft, and UBS. Idea and development of the Social Media Summit. Publicist and lecturer: author of «Social Media in der Medienarbeit», «Medienarbeit im Netz», and studies on online communication, blogger of the first hour for bernetblog, «Extrablog» for NZZ Neue Zürcher Zeitung Online Edition. Lecturer for strategy and online communication at SPRI, maz, HWZ, and ZHAW. Co-founder of the speaker’s agency speakers.ch.

This TV interview (Vimeo, German) illustrates my path from social media to art.

Before
PR consultant with Zurich and New York Agencies, marketing executive with UBS, marketing manager with Weitnauer Trading in Basle and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, and BA in Economics.

Human

Father of three children, married, snowboard touring enthusiast and double bass player with Brack&Bros. Honorary member of the advisory board of the Swiss Mountain Aid and the patronage committee of the Tibet Institute Rikon, Co-Presidency Artischock Kunstverein.

Languages
German, English, French, Italian and Spanish.