Native New Yorker Tom Sachs has been fascinated with Switzerland and the pristine bliss that stands at the heart of the ‘Swiss brand’ as far back as the early 1990s. The artist’s latest solo exhibition ‘The Pack’ focuses on the idealised brand of Switzerland and again he has created an alternative universe for its subject.

The artist visited the country when he was a teenager on a ski trip. He was impressed by the precision and cleanliness of the town and its vast expanses of natural beauty. He has also been drawn to its wealthy, political neutral, standards of health and living and more. Yet the image of perfection provokes Sachs to explore questions of artificiality, authenticity, and what it means when ‘being Swiss’ becomes a luxury commodity in itself. Through his signature technique of bricolage, he assembles collected materials to construct objects that critique modernity, including a collage of Swiss Air jet made from Swiss army knives, a line-up of three motorcycles that symbolises the Pontifical Swiss Guard, and a faceless coffee-making robot named after the folklore heroine Heidi.

‘The Pack’ runs until 3 February at Vito Schnabel Gallery in St. Moritz.