Objet Trouve

Juerg Casserini was born in 1950 in Thun, Switzerland, where his father, a well-known lithograph, was heading the “Stein- und Offsetdruckerei Casserini & Sohn”.       As a young man Jürg had to choose between his love for art or his hunger to explore the world. He decided to become a Consular and Diplomatic representative for the Swiss Government. In over 40 years he has been working in 16 countries at the Swiss Embassies, Foreign Interest Sections and Consulates General. During his professional life he was also acting as a Cultural Attaché and organized a number of Art Exhibitions and numerous other cultural events. After his retirement in the Philippines in December 2013 his passion for art led him to a new adventurous path. The ability and willingness to endeavor new options beyond traditional boundaries guided him to different materials. 

The collection on current exhibition Objet Trouve used copper slag as the base. It is a stony waste matter separated from metals during smelting or refining of copper ore. Copper slag contains materials like iron, alumina, calcium oxide, silica, and others. The artist discovered a source of this material in Leyte during his visits from Calamity/Aid projects supported by the Swiss Government. This black-silver shiny material is ideal as a base for Art Works. The color and the structure of slag is an outstanding recycled material. By using slag, acrylic paint, and natural recycled products, Casserini created a new dimension of mixed media Art combination.  For him, by creating Art Works, he can bring some of this recycled material to a different form of life. “FROM TRASH TO ART IN USING COPPER SLAG”