Tobias Spichtig. Poetry

About

Meredith Rosen Gallery is pleased to present Poetry, a solo exhibition of new paintings by Tobias Spichtig. The exhibition opens on September 22 and remains on view through October 21 at 11 East 80th Street. There will be an opening reception from 6 to 8pm on September 22nd.

In this latest group of paintings, Spichtig portrays portraits of people from his environment through his distinct style. The haunting portraits, abstractions and nudes prod the ornamental function of artwork through a sense of disturbance which lurks beneath the immediate images. Nude 1, an ominous reclining figure slinks into a dark room. Flowers appear to mimic the figures’ languid posture. The abstract paintings extend this language into sharp, spiraling forms gesturing toward gate-like structures and the script of tattoo and graffiti.

Spichtig’s approach to painting engages private imagery as pop/underground culture as a vehicle for tension which call to mind Francis Picabia’s later figurative paintings made in lockstep with abstract work, eschewing the boundaries between the two forms. Bernard Buffet (1928-1999) similarly used pop culture and his own style of painting, as an entry point to his work, weighted with social and political concerns. In a similar vein, Spichtig simultaneously reinforces and undermines our contemporary image-obsessed culture. The features of Spichtig’s figures are extreme and often appear to strut as if on an endless runway; but there is an unsettling quality to the allure of Spichtig’s world. His subjects aren’t enraptured or vacant displays—instead appearing innocently afraid, or quietly menacing.

Spichtig never fully reveals what is hidden—we are left with our own lustrous clues with the analytic gaze reversed—figures stare back unflinchingly, ready to pick us apart.

Tobias Spichtig (b. 1982 in Lucerne, Switzerland) lives and works in Berlin and Zürich. His works have been exhibited internationally at the Lafayette Anticipations, Paris; the KW Institute for Contemporary Art, the Swiss Institute, New York; the Boros Foundation, Berghain, Berlin; the Kaleidoscope, Spazio Maiocchi, Milan; the Centre d'art contemporain - la synagogue de Delme, Delme; the Museum Folkwang, Essen among others. Kunsthalle Basel will hold a solo exhibition of Spichtig’s work opening January 2024. This is Spichtig’s first exhibition at Meredith Rosen Gallery.