Born in 1969 in Schramberg (Germany's Black Forest), Roth attended the State Academy of Visual Arts in Karlsruhe. His work has been exhibited widely in Europe including solo exhibitions at the Kunsthaus Glarus, Artist's Space in New York, and the Museum der Bildenden Künste, Leipzig.

In recent years Roth has gained critical acclaim for his multi-media installations where the objects and images within serve as documentary evidence of a fantastic event or phenomenon that has been uncovered. Through his observations the artist, part detective, part archeologist, finds connections to seemingly unrelated events and places, thus revealing hidden relationships.

The book is published by the commissioner, BSI (Banca della Svizzera Italiana), as part of their Art Program, relaunched in 2005 by the Italian curator and critic Luca Cerizza. Stemming from a program of site-specific commissions for the bank, the books in this series are conceived as individual monographs on each artist's contribution. Gathering preparatory material, documentation on the works, and essays by critics or the artists themselves, these volumes contribute to the discussion around commissioning, the notions of public vs. private collection, and the relationship between artists and patrons.