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Gen Atem art

9 key works, 45 websites, 7 books, 7 auction houses, 15 video searches, 9 social links, 1 guide about Gen Atem · updated 16 October 2026

Gen Atem (born Anton Wettstein in 1967 in Frauenfeld) started painting trains and walls around Zurich in 1982 under names such as Genius and Gen U One, and is counted among the pioneers of European street art. From 1986 to 1994 he lived mainly in New York, where he staged letter-sculpture battles with Rammellzee. He then spent years in Buddhist monasteries, was ordained a Zen priest in 1999 and returned to painting with what he calls «Meditated Vandalism» – paint bombs thrown with full attention.

This page gathers his official website, walls and public works from the Basel line to the Christoph Blocher mural at Attisholz and the Flora Magica underpass in Jona, recent shows with his partner Miriam Bossard, museum projects from Völklingen to St. Gallen, galleries, auction searches, videos, books and the artists he worked with.

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Gen Atem at a glance

Born
1967, Frauenfeld, Switzerland (as Anton Wettstein)
Based
Zurich, New York (1986–1994), now Herbetswil, canton of Solothurn
Active
Since 1982
Other names
Genius, Gen, Gen One, Gen U One
Crews
W2 Crew (with Bost Four, 1982), Wild Writers, Attacking Vandalism Criminals (AVC)
Known for
Early Swiss train and wall graffiti, art battles with Rammellzee, paint-bomb works he calls Meditated Vandalism
Style
Graffiti lettering, paint bombs, freely improvised painting, letter sculptures, performance and music
Collections
Art Collection of the Canton of Zurich (University of Zurich), Historical Museum Baden, MoE Museum of Emptiness St. Gallen
Works with
Miriam Bossard (artist duo since 2009) and S213

Life of Gen Atem

  1. 1967Born Anton Wettstein in Frauenfeld, Switzerland.
  2. Early 1980sIn the unrest after the Zurich opera house riots he sprays political slogans and throws paint at official buildings – the paint bomb stays in his work to this day.
  3. 1982Discovers hip-hop as a breakdancer, DJ and writer; paints his first illegal piece, «W2 Crew», with Bost Four in November. He later founds the crews Wild Writers and AVC.
  4. 1984First solo show, «Graffiti», at Casablanca Gallery in Zurich; he is photographed there with New York pioneer Phase 2).
  5. 1986Moves mainly to New York and begins working with Rammellzee on Ikonoklast Panzerism – Gothic Futurism performances (#works).
  6. 1989Coins «Freely Improvised Painting» in a series of live shows with improvising musicians at Kunsthaus Oerlikon, Zurich.
  7. 1995Ends the collaboration with Rammellzee, enters a Buddhist monastery and is ordained a Zen priest in 1999; from 2001 to 2009 he heads a meditation centre in Zurich.
  8. 2009Returns to larger paintings and forms the artist duo Gen Atem / Miriam Bossard; the monograph Meditated Vandalism follows in 2016 (#books).
  9. 2017Paints the Christoph Blocher mural at Attisholz near Solothurn with S213, then considered the largest mural in Switzerland (#murals).
  10. 2024Writes the sentence loop Always Right in coal around a building at the Völklingen Ironworks for the Urban Art Biennale (#museums).

Key works by Gen Atem

From letter sculptures raced against Rammellzee in 1990s New York to a 2025 paint attack on a Zurich window front: these works show how he moved from trains to performance, public commissions and conceptual pieces.

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Gen Atem websites

Start with his own website, which documents almost every project with photos, and the About page with his full CV and press list. Wikipedia gives the short version.

Gen Atem in public space – murals & sculptures

His 1980s train and wall pieces are gone, but photos and stories survive, from Zurich's Wohlgroth building to the Basel railway line. Today you can see the Blocher mural at Attisholz and Flora Magica in the Jona underpass; check before you go, as the Attisholz site is changing.

Gen Atem exhibitions

He now shows mostly with Miriam Bossard. Recent shows include Always Right at Loiegruebe in Solothurn (2025) and the Urban Art Biennale at Völklingen (2024); his website keeps installation views up to 2026.

Gen Atem in museums

His works are in the art collection of the canton of Zurich, the Historical Museum Baden and the Museum of Emptiness in St. Gallen. He has also taken part in museum projects at the Völklingen Ironworks, Museum Tinguely and Kunstmuseum Solothurn.

Where to buy Gen Atem – galleries

Kolly Gallery in Zurich, Galerie Lisi Hämmerle in Bregenz and Loiegruebe in Solothurn have shown his work, and the duo sells prints and publications through their own edition shop. Ask galleries about size, year and signature.

Gen Atem blogs & articles

Swiss press has followed him closely: SRF and the NZZ on the sprayer who became a monk, bz Basel on the first piece on the Basel line, and blogs with studio videos.

Gen Atem auction results

Gen Atem rarely appears at the big auction houses, so these searches may return few or no lots. Gallery prices and his own edition shop are a better guide to value.

Gen Atem on YouTube: documentaries, interviews & tutorials

There are few videos about him on YouTube, so the searches below also cover Rammellzee, Gothic Futurism and Swiss graffiti history.

Gen Atem on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest & Flickr

Hashtag and search pages on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Flickr with photos of his murals, performances and shows. His website links no social media profiles.

Guides on Gen Atem and street art value

Gen Atem originals, prints & collectibles on eBay

On eBay look mainly for the books he appears in – Meditated Vandalism, Anarchie und Aerosol, Swiss Graffiti – as original works rarely turn up.

Books about Gen Atem

Meditated Vandalism is the main monograph; Swiss books from the 1990s and the Zurich police archive book Schmieren / Kleben document his early years.

Gen Atem learned from New York's first generation – above all Rammellzee – and has shown with writers such as Phase 2, SEEN, JonOne and Futura.

Questions about Gen Atem

Who is Gen Atem?

Gen Atem, born Anton Wettstein in 1967 in Frauenfeld, is a Swiss graffiti pioneer, visual and performance artist, musician and Zen priest. He began painting trains and walls in 1982, worked with Rammellzee in New York from 1986 to 1994 and today works as a duo with Miriam Bossard.

What is Meditated Vandalism?

His name for the work he made after his years as a monk: paint bombs and improvised painting carried out as a mindful ritual. It is also the title of his 2016 monograph with Hatje Cantz.

Where can I see Gen Atem's work?

The Christoph Blocher mural at the Attisholz site near Solothurn, the Flora Magica underpass in Jona, Time Frame at the University of Zurich and Form is Emptiness at the Museum of Emptiness in St. Gallen. His 1980s train and wall pieces are long gone and survive only in photos.

How was Gen Atem connected to Rammellzee?

From 1986 to 1994 they performed together in New York and Amsterdam. In their art battles each artist raced 26 wheeled letter sculptures against the other's while they played their own music and attacked each other with rhymes.

How much is a Gen Atem artwork worth?

He sells mainly through galleries and his own edition shop, and auction results are rare. Compare similar works, check the size, year and signature, and ask the gallery for provenance.

Are there Gen Atem exhibitions in 2026?

His CV lists installation views up to 2026; the latest confirmed shows are Always Right at Loiegruebe in Solothurn (spring 2025) and the cantonal annual exhibition at Kunstmuseum Olten (2025). Check his website for new dates.

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