On Language and Belonging is an interdisciplinary, non-profit exhibition exploring language as a core element of identity, memory, and social connection. Developed in collaboration with USB, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting migrants and fostering intercultural exchange, and supported by the Christoph Merian Stiftung (CSM)—a Basel-based foundation committed to promoting social cohesion, cultural initiatives, and equal opportunities—the project brings together photography, film, and sound to examine how language is learned, transformed, suppressed, and reclaimed.

The exhibition approaches language as more than communication: it is a lived and embodied presence, carrying emotion, rhythm, and cultural knowledge. Even when fragmented or lost, language persists through memory, sound, and gesture.

Structured as a coherent narrative, the exhibition unfolds through three interconnected artistic positions. Julia Wimmerlin’s photographic works address linguistic suppression and the reclaiming of cultural identity through personal and archival imagery. Yannick Mosimann’s film explores Swiss dialects as a living, collective practice shaped by landscape, voice, and shared presence. Marie-Cécile Reber’s sound installations focus on listening as an embodied experience, where language is felt through rhythm, voice, and resonance before it is fully understood.

Situated within Switzerland’s multilingual context, the exhibition reflects on language as a space of coexistence and invites visitors to consider their own linguistic histories and evolving sense of belonging.