Speaking in front of the vitrine containing the work, Fischli describes the piece, which is a quietly meticulous exploration of energy, entropy and human caretaking.

The sculpture, however, is anything but simple. Fischli explains that the figure is built around a copper “skeleton” cooled from within, allowing real snow to accumulate on its surface. “Some water is added from time to time and this builds up snow on the figure and it grows and grows and grows,” he says, noting that museum staff must actively maintain the work. The snowman’s dependence on energy, infrastructure and human attention is central to Fischli’s thinking. “We wanted to have something that would disappear… if the energy is no more there,” he recalls of the work’s origins in 1987, when he and his late collaborator David Weiss were commissioned to create a public sculpture for a power plant in Saarbrücken, Germany.

The interview traces how Snowman has evolved across decades and institutions. Later versions were powered not by industrial plants but by solar energy, a shift Fischli calls a “nice coincidence,” because “the snowman needs the most energy on a hot and sunny day and this is the day where solar energy produces the most.” The work’s changing energy sources mirror broader cultural shifts: from post‑Chernobyl debates about nuclear power to contemporary concerns about climate change. Fischli acknowledges the tension embedded in the piece, noting that “one could say… this is producing climate change,” even though its energy use is comparable to an ordinary refrigerator.

Fischli reflects on the snowman as a cultural symbol – once a threatening figure of winter hardship, now a benign icon of childhood. Yet in a museum vitrine, especially under summer sun, the sculpture becomes uncanny. “The more you see it… then you see something like a certain perversity or absurdity in it,” he observes, describing how viewers oscillate between empathy and recognition. The snowman’s simplicity is part of the point: “Every child can do that,” Fischli says, invoking the modernist joke that art can appear deceptively easy.

Peter Fischli (born 1952, Zurich) is a Swiss artist known for his long‑standing collaboration with David Weiss (1946–2012). Together, Fischli & Weiss produced some of the late 20th century’s most influential works, including The Way Things Go (1987), the Equilibres series, and the Polyurethane Objects. Their practice spans film, sculpture, photography and installation, often examining everyday materials with humor and philosophical depth. Fischli has exhibited widely, including at the Venice Biennale, MoMA, Tate Modern and the Walker Art Center, and is regarded as one of the most significant European artists of his generation.

Peter Fischli was interviewed at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, in June 2026 by Christian Lund.

Camera & edit: Jarl Therkelsen Kaldan

Produced by Christian Lund

Copyright: Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, 2026.
Louisiana Channel is supported by Den A.P. Møllerske Støttefond.