This springtime snowman—made by Swiss artist duo Fischli/Weiss and currently on display at Fondation Beyeler in Basel—is an apt figurehead for this month’s fickle weather conditions. The typically absurdist artwork was initially conceived in 1989 for a public space in Saarbrücken, located next to a thermal power station. Fischli and Weiss wanted to create something that would be powered by the plant and came up with a playfully paradoxical refrigerated snowman. However, they decided to put the idea on ice until 2016, resulting in this friendly fellow, who doubles as a timely commentary on our all-engulfing energy dependency and the climate crisis it’s spawned.
