the gal and freddy show is my submission for the diploma exhibition at the zhdk for the year 2026. it’s
an
interactive video installation that touches on autobiographical themes, specifically my status as an
artist and as a
person in the city of zurich, the conflict between my origins and the expectations of my career, and the
origins and
outcomes of a personal crisis that i had in the beginning of the year.
the short film talks about freddy and gal, a duo of human and puppets that together create a sketch
comedy show that becomes successful, so much so, that freddy (the star and comedy relief of the
show) gets casted to participate in another show with an established artist and celebrity. how much
of the success the two have together is due to the community and the partnership the two have built
together? how much of our success is due to our qualities and not the environment around us?
the installation and the show is created in collaboration with magda büsser, a stage designer.
together we created the puppet, the costumes, the color design, and the stage design of the shows.
the studio used in the final iteration of the show was then transformed into the installation. the
goal was to blur the lines between audience and the actors of the show: from the outside the
audience (inside of the three pink walls) appears to be also part of the show. the installation is
also an homage to alex da corte, one of my favourite artists.
at the end of the show (spoilers ahead), the audience sees themselves inside of the screen (through
the usage of a webcam) during the last show, right after a direct call to action to sing the final
song (that appears multiple times inside of the short film). this idea of mirroring the audience is
a clear reference to dan graham’s work and referencing barbara kruger’s inclusion of the way the
audience interacts with the artwork, specifically of the instagram posts made by the audience inside
of the same work shown in the social media pictures. i was interested in creating multiple layers of
what audience is, of how the audience can participate inside of a work, specifically since the work
is in relation to the (art viewing) culture of zurich, so it felt appropriate to include them inside
of the work itself (both directly and indirectly). i also enjoy meta layers a lot.
the work is inspired by a crisis i felt about the isolation i felt inside of the city of zurich, it
was difficult for me to make friends or to create a community of artists. also, because of this, the
resolution of the character is not focused on the actual art result they generate, but about the
community they foster and build. the show that freddy does with urs is more successful, but the lack
of chemistry between the two is more significant. at the same time i was inspired by my origins,
specifically clowning. my mother is a clown, and it has influenced my way of creating art. the
scenes of the gal and freddy show were co-written by her and this type of old-style humour and the
typical routines is something that i wanted to pay homage to. at the same time the doubts that
freddy has after the show he performs with urs are very similar to the ones i felt during this
moment of uncertainty in the past months, where i was looking to apply to corporate jobs and
completely drop out from art, luckily i didn’t.
the gal and freddy show, created by gal, 2026.
gal played by gal
freddy operated by gal, gaëlle guidotti, magda büsser, jasmin und sonja hirt
fan played by kiki chan hoi ki
urs played by manolo holzer
fan 2 played by gaëlle guidotti
camera operated by gal, magda büsser, kiki chan hoi ki, suejin hong, gaëlle guidotti, sonja hirt, manolo
holzer
thanks to nick cotti, wg alpaka, claudia verruto, erez, orit, maya, lele, roberto, ian, barbara,
chiccian, orit, daniele, stefano, billy, franziska, tarek, monster, reinhart, gal t., filippo,
alessia, kera mackenzie.