Gioni Defuns

Gioni Defuns, born in 1967 in Darvella near Trun (GR), is a painter, author, and former singer.

Raised as a farmer’s son in Surselva, he discovered art at an early age—inspired by nature, hunting, and the human inner world.

Since 1991, he has dedicated himself intensively to painting. In his studio gallery, located in a modern art building of his own design in Darvella, he creates works that impress through their expressiveness, depth, and powerful visual language. His paintings are represented in numerous public and private collections and have been honored with grants from the Canton of Graubünden, the Lia Rumantscha, and the Dr. Winterhalter Foundation.

Defuns also gained fame as a singer: as a member of the group FURBAZ, he won the Swiss preliminary round for the Eurovision Song Contest in 1989 and was awarded the prestigious “Prix WALO” for outstanding entertainment art in the same year.

In 2006, he published the bilingual book “BEN ed jeu – BEN und ich,” a collection of German-Romansh short stories that provide a deep insight into his thoughts and creative work through personal narratives, photographs, and original images.