Samuel Offener's artistic work focuses on the use of found objects, particularly everyday items such as boots and socks, which he removes from their original context and transforms into new levels of meaning. These materials serve as carriers of memories and cultural traces, which he explores and reinterprets in his practice. At the core of his work is the investigation of sound waves and sonic memories, which Offener regards as intangible archives documenting the interaction between humans and their environment.
He engages intensively with questions of climate change and glacier melting, using acoustic phenomena and their perception as a medium to make the impacts of these global processes sensorially tangible. The connection between sound and found materials enables him to address the fragility of ecological systems as well as the transience of landscapes and their acoustic identity. His works encourage reflection on the relationship between physical materiality, auditory memory, and ecological changes shaped by human influence.
His most notable exhibitions include presentations at No more News in Schlieren (2024) and Il Lupo e il Cane in Bellinzona (2024). Samuel Offener has been awarded the Prix de la Fabrique (2024) and received support from the Allbach Foundation (2023).