Paul Hutzli's Carnivalesque Art: Papier-Mâché and Chocolate as Political Tools

Swiss artist Paul Hutzli, currently in residence at the Istituto Svizzero di Roma as part of Roma Calling 2025/2026, employs carnivalesque methods—papier-mâché, trompe-l'œil, and ephemeral materials—to critique power structures. His work, featured in a 'Close Up' collaboration between Flash Art Italia and Istituto Svizzero, draws on Mikhail Bakhtin's theories of the grotesque and carnival. Key pieces include 'Schoolchairs' (2025), papier-mâché replicas of Swiss-Italian school chairs with subversive student graffiti, and 'Plates' (2023), inspired by 18th-century French faience from Niderviller, depicting folkloric and revolutionary scenes. In 'Switzerland sweet Switzerland' (2025), chocolate plates at Pasticceria Dagnino in Rome melt to reveal contradictions of Swiss national identity and colonial exploitation. At a house in Lausanne, Hutzli created 'Rohrschachsterne' (2024) by drawing a star map on decades of grime on a skylight, incorporating invented elements. Hutzli learned papier-mâché from Basel carnival artisans who make 'Larven' (masks). His practice spans stop-motion, sculpture, and installation, focusing on the residual, ephemeral space after carnival.