Cornelia Schmid

Coni Schmid was born in Germany in 1957 to parents of Ukrainian and Czech descent. She grew up in Switzerland. In 1982, she graduated from the Faculty of Arts at the University of Fribourg with a secondary school teaching degree. Her artistic career began in 2000 after obtaining her art teacher’s certificate at the University of Bern. She acquired further qualifications in adult education in 2003, in 2012 at the HSLU (Lucerne University of Art and Design), and in 2013 at the ZHdK (Zurich University of the Arts). Until 2018, she taught at the Bern:Biel School of Design (SFGB:B) in Bern and Biel, as well as at the HF of the SFGB:B Technical School in Bern. She now lives and works as an artist in Spengelried, Switzerland. Her art is not stylistically pre-defined, but rather philosophically oriented. The artist selects the style of each series to best express its respective theme and concern. With her projects “What Do We Adhere to? Enlightenment Now!” and “Dignity and Time,” she uses figurative images and portraits to encourage her audience to reflect on social values. Like life itself, Coni Schmid sees her artistic work as a “work in progress.” When it comes to expressing the fast-paced nature of our times, she often chooses an abstract, improvisational style. Her large-format “Lichen pictures” have caused a stir. Thematically, she here explores lichen and other mysterious “metaphors of life” such as fungi. We find fungi everywhere, including within ourselves; without them, we could not survive. They are rarely conspicuous, yet essential to all life on this earth. Coni Schmid has exhibited regularly since 1997. She has been represented internationally by LDXArt Gallery since 2025.