Vela Arbutina
Jan Tschichold Award 2025
Born in Zurich in 1978, Vela Arbutina still lives and works in the city. She studied at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London, at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam, at the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK) and at Basel Academy of Art and Design. She has been a freelance graphic designer for over twenty years and has worked in Amsterdam, London, Berlin and Switzerland. Besides graphic design, Vela Arbutina also explores other artistic fields, such as installation art and video art. She was art director at the magazines Blend and Girls Like Us and has collaborated with various artists and institutions, in particular Christina Li, Adam Szymczyk, the Cabaret Voltaire, the Bundeskunsthalle Bonn, Ludlow 38, the nGbK Berlin, Tanya Leighton and the Swiss Institute.
Her publications WIR SPIELEN (WE PLAY), Schätze der Erinnerung 2014-2015. The Weather in Zürich 2013-2014, Pilvi Takala. Close Watch and Daphne Ahlers. Die Würflerin, were named Most Beautiful Swiss Books between 2013 and 2024.
Vela Arbutina’s work takes an independent approach, is staunchly contemporary and is on the edge of the mainstream. It is characterised by a minimalism that is as understated as it is radical. Her works are imbued with a playfulness and boldness that build an affinity with the subject matter. The jury underscores these qualities and pays tribute to Vela Arbutina’s perseverance and commitment in a field that is particularly demanding and economically challenging.
