URS LÜTHI

Precise squares painted on canvas line up geometrically in delicate, pale colours and fit together in a harmonious composition like the pixels of a subsequently censored photo. On the one hand, the work presents itself as an abstract, constructivist painting, but on the other hand—seen from a distance—a figurative, naturalistic portrait can be seen. This ambivalence forms one of the basic components of Lüthi’s work.

Through the conscious decision to implement this series of works in the medium of painting, the artist gives the works a personal component and although he consciously breaks down the motif into its pixels, they still bear his characteristic signature. Upon close inspection, subtle imperfections can be identified on the painted surface to indicate human imperfection. These paintings subtly reflect human nature, rather than presenting a perfected image, as would be possible through photography and on the basis of which the works were created. Just like classic portrait painting, the works are created using time-consuming craftsmanship and attempt to capture the essence of their counterparts. The paintings are self-portraits, only they are now so alienated—at first glance they could be anyone—and so raise the question: What actually makes us unique when we disappear in such a radical way?

With the resolution of the motif, the series follows Lüthi’s last work series Selfportrait (TRANSMISSION ERROR) from 2022, in which the artist has already photographed his self-portrait led to another level through targeted and tactical digital processing to create complete anonymisation. In the self-portrait “LONTANO IL REALE TEMPO UMANO”, however, the artist initiates an unprecedented interplay between recognition and non-recognition by consciously juggling with the autofocus of the human eye. As with many of Lüthi’s works, he addresses deep, human emotions here, and not just through the chosen colours of the squares or the technical execution of the painting, which are reminiscent of human skin in their colours and texture. Also the search for the answer to the question: What do I perceive? triggers a possible emotional reaction in the viewer and a subtle irritation is definitely intended.

The works SUNSET 1-3 “LONTANO IL REALE TEMPO UMANO” (2023) differ from their predecessors in their colour and supposed motif, but not in their implementation and message. The artist chooses the warm colours of various sunset scenarios to immerse the viewer in his world. For him, they are just as much a part of his self-portrait series as the other works in the Lontano series. This is also about the ambivalence of disappearing, of fitting in, of becoming one with the bigger picture and the resulting emotions such as safety and security. In this way, Lüthi manages to create a conceptual sentimentality and to tell his story again and again from different perspectives.

The subtitle of the series of works shown, which also forms the title of the exhibition—“LONTANO IL REALE TEMPO UMANO”—refers to a line of the poem Le ceneri di Gramsci (1954) by the Italian poet and film director Pier Paolo Pasolini (1922-1975) and translated, this means “a real human time is far away”. Pasolini, who for Lüthi represents a kind of father figure of his youth and is known, among other things, as the author of profound works, inspires him here not for the first time: in 1987 he created a large work based on the same Pasolini quote (From the series of swapped dreams, 1987). In _Le ceneri di Gramsci, _Pasolini presents a bleak view of life in urban outskirts, where, despite suffering and desolation, moments of joy and happiness can still be found. While working on the current series of works, this particular line kept coming to mind and it seems to him to be enormously visionary in its scope.

Playing with art historical references is also intentional. At first glance, the paintings are reminiscent of the Zurich Concretes around Max Bill, but at second glance they appear to be figurative. Urs Lüthi intends to reveal how different and yet the same we humans are, in keeping with his belief that “there is no one truth”.

Urs Lüthi was born in Kriens, Switzerland, in 1947. He lives and works in Munich, Germany. His works are represented in numerous public and private collections, such as the collection of the Kunstmuseum Luzern, Lucerne, Switzerland; Bern Art Museum, Switzerland; mamco, Geneva, Switzerland; Kunsthaus Aarau, Switzerland; Kunsthaus Zurich, Switzerland; Kunsthaus Glarus, Switzerland; Chur Museum, Switzerland; Musée Rath Genève, Geneva, Switzerland; Museum Winterthur, Switzerland; Museum Stuttgart, Germany; Hamburg Art Museum, Germany; Falkenberg Collection, Hamburg, Germany; Museum Kassel, Kassel Germany; Center Pompidou, Paris, France; moma New York, USA; moma San Francisco, USA; Fondazione Brodbeck, Catania, Italy; Arte Moderna Roma Museum, Rome, Italy;Museum Dell’ Novencento, Milan, Italy and many others.