The artistic work of Reto Müller is initially very physical, sculptural, and site-specific. He works with materials such as tin, glass, lead, silver, and basalt, as well as other kinds of rock. He focuses on processes of transformation of all kinds: natural changes such as the solidification of volcanic rock, as well as cultural interventions such as melting, casting, and cutting, in addition to overwriting and reinterpretation.

With the exhibition Le nombril du monde at Museum zu Allerheiligen in Schaffhausen, the artist creates a vast imaginary field, a space of possibilities between geology, local mythology, and industrial history, between intention and chance, snapshot and narrative. The eponymous catalog serves as an extension of the exhibition. In a conversation with Roland Früh and Barbara Signer, Reto Müller discusses various references, interests, and the connections and links within his practice. A text by Isabelle Köpfli reflects on his work from a curatorial perspective. The photographs, captured by Sebastian Stadler, are arranged to take the reader on a narrative journey through the museum, challenging the typical conventions of an exhibition catalog.

Le nombril du monde was published on the occasion of the exhibition Reto Müller – Le nombril du monde, Manor Kunstpreis / Art Prize Schaffhausen 2023 at Museum zu Allerheiligen, Schaffhausen (25.05.–15.10.2023). With the kind support of Manor, Kulturstiftung des Kantons Thurgau, Kunstverein Schaffhausen and Sturzenegger-Stiftung Schaffhausen.