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16 January to 29 April 2013
Pascal Schwaighofer Mythological Reenactment (vol. 2) Works by Pascal Schwaighofer seem strangely foreign to us: They are embedded in a dense network of references, which leave an imprint on them and at the same time determine the way they look, as it were, from the inside out. In doing so, existing differentiations are turned upside down: Do we encounter contemporary works of art or are these objects from past centuries, which bear inherent traces of their use, like archaeological relics? Are these art objects, or things from daily life? The question arises concerning possible functions and (ritual) contexts of actions and connects these pieces with works, which may be viewed in the framework of the annual exhibition »Art is Liturgy - Paul Thek and the Others«, on display in the other exhibition rooms. The action or the processual nature is an essential moment that also determines Pascal Schwaighofer's self-understanding as an artist: As the author of these works, he never stands in the foreground; rather he becomes wholly enveloped in the work, or more precisely, in the active process that produces the work. The artistic gesture often sparks a process that - at the artist's urge - is then left up to the laws of the material. The conceptual dimension is embedded in a process, which, instead of failing to appreciate the manual skill and craftsmanship, on the contrary, enhances, furthers, and renews them. Particular attention is paid to the surfaces, for whose treatment Pascal Schwaighofer sometimes takes recourse to ancient artistic techniques. »Mythological Reenactment (vol. 2)« has come about specifically for the Kolumba rooms. Taking recourse to the legend of the founding of Carthage by Princess Dido, who purportedly determined the size of the city using the hide of an ox, the work makes a theme of relationships between myth and reality, between the location, space, and action. Pascal Schwaighofer, born in Locarno, Switzerland in 1976, divides his time between Mendrisio, Zurich, and Rotterdam. A booklet, designed by the artist, has been published for the exhibition in an edition of 300 (24 pages, stitch-binding € 10). (Artist Book) Artist´s talk with Pascal Schwaighofer: Wednesday, 17 April, 18 p.m. | ||||