Constructed at the beginning of the 20th century, the building previously housed an explosives factory, a paint manufacturer and finally a Ducati motorbike garage (from 2009 to 2023). The last tenant left its mark on residents with its strong identity. Collectif Kimera has named its space Dukat, with the idea of reappropriating a symbol of industrialization to question the values inherited from the last century and envision an alternative future together, conscious of the social challenges ahead.
Conceived as a platform for emerging artists, the space is an artist studio that transforms itself into a gallery and exhibits its residents as well as guest emerging artists invited from time to time to collaborate. Dukat will also host a range of cultural events (designer markets, fashion shows, screenings) and introductory workshops in a variety of artistic practices (ceramics, 3D modelling and printing, etc.).
Address:
Avenue Cardinal-Mermillod 21, Carouge 1227, Geneva
How to reach us:
Bus: 7 and 11 - Fontenette
Tram: 12 and 18 - Carouge Armes, Carouge Marche, Blanche
Accessibility:
The space is partially accessible for people with reduced mobility. Although it is equipped with ramps for wheelchair access, unfortunately it does not have wheelchair-friendly toilets.
Dukat is run by the non-profit association Kimera.
We gratefully accept financial support:
Banque cantonale de Genève
Quai de l'Ile 17 - Case postale 2251
CH - 1211 Genève 2
IBAN CH0800788000051047221
BIC BCGECHGGXXX
Association Kimera
Av. Cardinal-Mermillod 21
1227 Carouge
With the support of
Collectif Kimera gathers ten artists and designers who share a common interest in creating transdisciplinary projects through the conception and curation of exhibitions and the realisation of spatial installations. Their practices are mutually enriched and reasoned through the social issues they address. After several fruitful collaborations, the collective came together as a non-profit association to create and invest in Dukat.
Specialising in immersive multimedia installations including projections, sound, and light, the collective's productions seamlessly blend the manual craftsmanship of materials such as wood, metal, ceramics, and glass with electronics and emerging technologies like mapping, motors and programming. The resulting installations are immersive, to further engage spectators. They create new spaces that encourage exchange between artists and audiences, tackling key issues such as LGBTQIA+ rights, feminism, ecology and dynamics of oppression.
Inspired by the Chimera, a whimsical animal from Greek mythology composed of different parts of a lion, a goat and a snake, Collectif Kimera brings together artists hailing from diverse practices. What binds them together is their inclination to weave fiction and mythology into their creations, presenting alternative realities that challenge us to contemplate new potential futures collectively.
MEMBERS
Yel K. Banto
Vincent Grange
Tristan Bartolini
Tanguy Troubat
Maude Renevier
Martin Zambaz
Hsuan Lee
Guillaume Martin-Taton
Camille Bellmas
Ankita Das
Performing Myself, 2023
Yel K. Banto (they/them)
PERFORMING ARTS (performance, dance and stage design) - VISUAL ARTS (video, multimedia sculpture and paint) - CRAFTS (woodwork, ceramics and casted glass)Yel K. Banto (they/them) actively explores the intersections between writing, performing arts, fine art, design and crafts. With sharing and learning skills at the heart of their practice, they are always looking for collaboration opportunities. Drawing inspiration from personal experiences and fictional narratives inspired by dreams, they like to use contemporary symbols and archetypes to critically examine the representation of the body, sexuality and identity in our sociocultural context while questioning the dominant norms that shape our daily lives.
Yel K. Banto is based in Geneva, and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from HEAD - Geneva. They have also studied at the Athens School of Fine Arts as part of an exchange program. Their work has been presented at various venues, including the Doza gallery in Bulgaria for Sofia Art Week, in Bern for the Performance Days programmed by the Bacio collective, in Ticino for an exhibition curated by Piu Quarantuno, and in Lausanne at La Placette and Théâtre Sévelin 36. Additionally, they have danced for Cie Melanie Gobet for two years, co-curated an exhibition at PS: Communitism in Athens and organised queer events with the Collectif Qult at the Romandie in Lausanne.
Website ︎︎︎
Dorothy’s House, 2023
Vincent Grange (he/him)
Scenography, Immersive installations, Event Planning, Construction, Queer History, 3D ModellingConvinced that visitors are more inclined to think with the artist when immersed within an artwork, Vincent Grange is a scenographer, event planner and a recent graduate of MA- Space and Communication, HEAD Geneva (Haute Ecole d’Art et Design). Specialising in immersive installations, he draws inspiration from the Pataphysics movement and challenges the norms of our heteronormative society by creating alternate realities.
Through his architectural designs, artefacts, and unique machines, Vincent invites visitors to interpret each design decision and unravel the often absurd stories he seeks to convey. His work has been exhibited in various places, including Switzerland, Spain, and France.
Additionally, Vincent has organised multiple music festivals and fashion shows in Geneva and Lausanne, where he oversees all aspects of scenography and communication.
Website ︎︎︎
Chanelling Ancestors, 2023
Tristan Bartolini (he/him)
Immersive installations, Graphic Design, Typography, Queer Theory, Video, Alternative Language SystemTristan Bartolini, a graduate in Visual Communication with a Master's degree in Space and Communication from HEAD Geneva, creates immersive installations where science fiction, speculative archaeology, occult narratives, and pop culture converge. His work challenges societal norms and sparks conversations about inclusivity and diversity. Through fictional spaces and archaeological objects, Tristan sheds light on a forgotten past where gender, identities, and sexualities were not yet normalised. His installations invite viewers to explore alternative perspectives and challenge conventional thinking.
His work has been showcased in various museums and galleries, including the Musée Cantonal de Design et d'Arts Appliqués Contemporains (Mudac) in 2021 and the Centre d'Art Contemporain de Genève in 2022. His approach to art earned him the Prix Art Humanité, a Croix-Rouge Prix in 2020, recognising his ability to use visual communication to promote empathy, understanding, and social change.
Overall, Tristan's practice aspires to push the boundaries of art, inviting audiences to delve into parallel realities and engage in critical dialogue about the world we inhabit.
Website ︎︎︎
The Mutating Showroom, 2023
Tanguy Troubat (he/him)
Scenography, Immersive Installations, Event Planning, Construction, Drawing, 3D ModellingTanguy Troubat graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Space Design, from the École Supérieure d’Art et Design de Saint-Etienne (ESADSE). Following his graduation, he worked as a freelance designer on projects that merged graphic design and new technologies, including augmented reality applications and website coding. In 2021, he joined HEAD Geneva to further develop his practice at the intersection of art and design, focusing on scenography and interior design. Tanguy's interests revolve around the convergence of digital and handmade work, which he recently explored in his Master's diploma project titled 'The Mutating Showroom’.
Website ︎︎︎
Jour Noir, 2018
Maude Renevier (she/her)
Visual Communication, Space Design, Virtual Design, Experimental Design, Graphic Design, Book BindingHaving been trained in graphic design, visual communications, and space design, Maude Renevier now embraces the freedom of carrying out multidisciplinary projects that merge art and design. Her visual practice aims to blur the boundaries between the virtual and the real through immersive installation projects. It was during her Bachelor's degree that Maude realised the potential of reaching an audience through the new tools and media she discovered. Her Bachelor's project, ‘Jour Noir’, earned her the BEA Foundation Young Artist Award in 2020. Maude has since launched her own bookbinding workshop and is now self-employed.
Website ︎︎︎
Upsweep, 2021
Martin Zambaz (he/him)
Installation, Sculpture, Interactivity, Ecology, MutationAfter a CFC in graphic design at the Art School of Valais, Martin continued his studies with a bachelor's degree in visual communication and a master's degree in Space and Communication at HEAD Geneva. He is currently an assistant at the same school. His work focuses on developing his language and personal practice in art and design. To achieve this, he tries to create a dialogue between his subjects of investigation and how they materialise through the collision of different media. His focus is on immersive, interactive environments that invite viewers to explore and question the nature of their surroundings. Primarily working with digital media and installation (animation/film/projection/sculpture), he brings them together to create places for encounters, experiments and transformations. His research has sparked a desire to imagine narrative and interactive sculptural devices. The questions driving his practice draw on science and art to explore themes such as identity, perception and the relationship between humans, nature and technology.
Website ︎︎︎
Wetland, 2022
Hsuan Lee (she/her)
Interactive and Immersive Installation, Scenography, Prop Design, 3D Modelling, ConstructionHsuan Lee, a Taiwanese artist and designer based in Geneva, works across various media, including interactive objects, immersive installations, and films. By transforming ready-made objects, she invites the public into parallel worlds or speculative fiction. Her current work responds to emergent technology's possible consequences on society and the environment.
Her work has been exhibited in Taiwan and Switzerland, including at the Mapping Festival and BIG (Biennale Insulaire des espaces d’art de Genève). For three years in Taipei, she worked as a set and prop designer, creating scenography and installations for exhibitions and museums.
In 2022, Hsuan received her Master's degree in Design-Space and Communication from HEAD Geneva (Haute Ecole d'Art et Design). Prior to that, she completed a Bachelor's degree in Industrial Design from the National Taiwan University of Science and Technology.
Website ︎︎︎
Vortex, 2023Guillaume Martin-Taton (he/him)
Ceramics, Painting, Performance, Textile Design, InstallationGuillaume Martin-Taton carries out constant research work, traversing several disciplines and centres of interest, including anthropology, animism, entomology, aposematism, signalling, colonialism, language, identity. His work resides at the crossroads of these interests, allowing the spectators to (re)identify the points of convergence, friction and containment that they formally identify.
He works as an art handler for prestigious institutions such as Fondation de l’Hermitage, Lausanne, Fondation Jan Michalski. He is also the Director of Production for the upcoming environmental biennale Reconnecting Earth in Geneva. In 2019, with artist Lola Metz, they established an artist studio named LUSINE34 in Montpellier. He is responsible for managing the artistic program, inviting artists and directors for residencies and setting up individual and collective exhibitions.
His work has been exhibited in various art venues in Europe, including the Cultural Centre of Novi Sad in Serbia, La Friche la Belle de Mai in Marseille, and most recently at the Centre d'Art Contemporain de Genève during the auction of Will Benedict's exhibition, "Dialogue Of The Dogs.”.
He graduated with a Master's degree (DNSEP) from the Beaux-Arts de Montpellier in 2018, specialising in Art. During an exchange at the National Art School in Sydney, he began developing a universe inspired by signage. In Sydney he presented his first solo exhibition ‘Signal’ featuring an intersection of performative installations, sculptures and paintings. The creation of a new alphabet became hybridised with signalling, marking the genesis of a personal mythology and a micro-tribe.
Website ︎︎︎
Et toi, te souviens- tu?, 2023Camille Bellmas (she/her)
Scenography, Immersive installations, Event Planning, Construction, Queer history, 3D modellingCamille Bellmas holds a CFC (Certificat Fédéral de Capacité), a maturité specialising in graphic design from the CFPAA (Centre de Formation Professionnelle Arts Appliqués), a Bachelor's degree in Visual Communication, and a Master's degree in Design-Space and Communication from HEAD Geneva. In her professional practice, she has been involved in designing communication materials for various associations in Switzerland, helping them effectively convey their visions to a wider audience.
Throughout her professional and personal practice, Camille is dedicated to creating engaging, critical, and inclusive spaces and fostering dialogue within the institutions she engages with. She places specific emphasis on amplifying the voices of underrepresented communities, including women and the LGBTQIA+ community. By actively involving the audience and encouraging their participation, Camille strives to cultivate a sense of shared concern and collective responsibility, ensuring that all voices are heard and valued.
In her latest project, she developed an interactive installation that amplified women’s voices and engaged the public through physical, sensory and emotional participation.
Website ︎︎︎
Ankita Das (she/her)
Editorial Design, Information Visualisation, Photography, Performative lecturesAnkita Das is a communication designer and an aspiring design fabulist with the inertia of her design practice in motion towards creating work that matters. Work which informs, engages and stimulates the audience.
Wanting to make a difference in the world, she strives to be kind and empathetic. Complex information that is not accessible to everyone, and in an ever-changing world, it is her greatest interest as a designer to explore how she can create concepts and identities through different media for anyone to engage with. She often communicates through photography, editorial design, performance and artefacts.
A recent graduate of MA, Design- Space and Communication from HEAD Geneva, Ankita has collaborated with esteemed institutions such as the Financial Times, National Geographic Photo Camp, WIRED, Dorling Kindersley (a division of Penguin Random House), Imperial College London, and the Ministry of Textiles (Government of India). Her work has been exhibited in various locations, including the United States, Switzerland, Italy, the UK, Ireland, and Spain. She won the best Graduation Project in the Department of Fashion Communication among all 15 centres of the National Institute of Fashion Technology, India. Her notable exhibitions include being in the PhotoVogue festival, Milan, Peckham 24 festival, London and the National Geographic Photo Camp Exhibition at the Kennedy Centre, Washington DC.
Website ︎︎︎
