Layers of women’s lives
“Layers of women’s lives – Looking back at collaborative collages from 1975” is the title of the exhibition at the Swiss National Library running from 8 March to 14 June 2025. It presents a series of collages from 1975 that reflect women’s lives. Visitors are also invited to take part in a collaborative work during their visit.
In 1975 – to mark International Women’s Year – the Swiss National Library presented an exhibition of unique collages on the theme of women. The works were created as part of a competition run by the newspaper Basler Zeitung, which invited readers to reflect creatively on the role of women in society. The collages, made up of clippings from newspapers and magazines from the 1970s, not only offer a window into that time, but also give us something to think about today. The issues that mattered then – equality, role models and social change – still matter now. The exhibition not only shows how women were seen at the time, but also shines a light on what has changed in the intervening five decades, and what hasn’t.
In the exhibition ‘Layers of women’s lives’, we focus on a specific art form: collage. And we invite you to grab some scissors and glue and take part in a collaborative work, which will be brought to life in the National Library’s exhibition room.
Collateral events
Public opening event
8 march 2025, 1pm to 4pm
and launch of the collaborative work
Museumsnacht Bern 2025
Am 21. März 2025 feiert die Nationalbibliothek die Museumsnacht. Entdecken Sie die Ausstellung «Frauen(k)leben» und helfen Sie mit, eine grosse Gemeinschaftscollage vor Ort zu gestalten! Musikalisch begleitet von BatBait und mit Improtheater von TBD Impro.
BiblioWeekend 2025
Am 28. März 2025 findet das vierte BiblioWeekend statt. Es steht unter dem Motto «Worte verbinden Welten». Finde heraus, wie das Thema im Schweizerischen Literaturarchiv und in der Ausstellung «Frauen(k)leben» interpretiert wird.
Curator’s tour in French
16 april 2025, 4pm
with Benjamin Michelet, National Library cultural mediation
Curator’s tour in German
23 april 2025, 4pm
with Benjamin Michelet, National Library cultural mediation
Closing event
14 June 2025 1pm to 4pm
Inauguration of the collaborative work
2:00 p.m. Guided tour with the exhibition curator: What differences can we see between the collages from 1975 and those from 2025?
Swiss National Library
Cultural outreach
Hallwylstrasse 15
Switzerland - 3003 Bern