Serge Gauya (born Serge Gauye in 1977 in Sion, Switzerland) is a multidisciplinary artist known for his work as a musician, painter, and sculptor. From a young age, he was drawn to both music and visual arts, growing up in an artistic environment—his father being a musician and painter, and his mother an antiquarian. He studied music theory and piano at a conservatory, alongside drawing and painting at a local art school.
In the late 1980s, one of his drawings was selected by the city of Sion for the exhibition "Sion se greffe sur l'avenir" ("Sion joins the future"). He had the opportunity to meet renowned artists such as Morris, creator of Lucky Luke, and Swiss painter Charles Menge, who encouraged him to continue his artistic journey. Menge even gifted him a painting with the inscription: "Dear Serge, there is no art without caricature."
Serge’s musical career began in 1992, at age 15, with the release of his debut single “Much Money” in Paris. In 1995, under the stage name MegaWatt, he toured France with the British soul group Imagination. A year later, he founded his own publishing, production, and events company, all while studying natural medicine in Geneva and Paris.
Throughout the late 1990s, Serge continued to produce music, including a duet titled “Don’t Play” with Cameroonian artist Racine Sagath. His 2006 Spanish-language album “Me Siento Latino”, distributed by Warner in the U.S., found success in Latin America—particularly in Ecuador—and among Hispanic communities in the United States.
In 2008, he composed the official anthem for Swiss football club FC Sion, and in 2009, his song “Valesanos” became the anthem of the Valaisan and Swiss cultural center in Bariloche, Argentina. In 2013, he launched Vibración Latina, a digital radio station dedicated to Latin music. In 2014, he collaborated with Fulanito, a prominent figure in urban merengue, on the single “La Única de mi Vida.”
Serge has received two major awards in the U.S. for his music: the Premio Estrella Music Award in Miami (2008) and the Fox Music USA Latin Award in Houston (2014).
His artistic vision is continually shaped by his travels around the world, where he draws inspiration from colors, sounds, and diverse cultural atmospheres. Though music has remained central, his passion for painting was reignited in 2012 after meeting Egyptian-Swiss art dealer Mahmoud Abou El Ainin, who discovered his work and encouraged him to pursue fine arts more seriously.
Since then, Serge has led parallel careers in music and visual art, often blending both worlds in exhibitions. His artworks have been showcased in galleries and contemporary art museums worldwide. Since 2012, he has exhibited in over 75 venues across 25 countries (see full exhibition list).
He has also represented Swiss contemporary art on several occasions at international exhibitions organized in partnership with the Swiss government—in Kuwait, Paraguay (during Francophonie Week with the French Alliance), and Cairo, Egypt.
Serge’s contributions to the arts have earned him numerous accolades throughout his career.
In spring 2017, he introduced a new character to his artistic universe: The Blue Dog—a vibrant, stylized canine meant to symbolize friendship and joy. The Blue Dog now joins other recurring figures in his work, such as the clown, the cat, and the princess.
Since 2020, Serge has also explored sculpture, notably presenting his Blue Dog at prestigious art biennials in Montreux (Switzerland) and Florence (Italy). One of his most iconic sculptures, Love Sion, stands proudly in Place de la Planta, in the center of his hometown, Sion—the capital of the Valais region.