Hans Weigand
13 Jan - 04 Mar 2017
Hans Weigand, Geisterwelle aus dem 16 .Jh., 2015
Aquarell, Tusche auf Holz; 175 x 200 x 4 cm. (68.9 x 78.7 x 1.6 in.)
Gabriele Senn
Aquarell, Tusche auf Holz; 175 x 200 x 4 cm. (68.9 x 78.7 x 1.6 in.)
Gabriele Senn
HANS WEIGAND
13 January – 04 March 2017
In this solo exhibition at the Gabriele Senn Galerie, Hans Weigand elaborates on his utopian-classical and high-contrast visual vocabulary. The exhibition comprises only recent works. Recurring waves are fused with revitalised ancient techniques and motifs in the form of woodcarving and painting. The use of woodcarving as an art form was triggered by Weigand’s need for a slower pace of life and helps to outline his metaphorical contemplations of the world today.
‘As an allegory of the eternal cycle of genesis and demise, of vibrant life and indomitable elemental force, as a symbol of protest and unpredictability as well as of the mysterious depths of our collective subconscious, waves are a popular artistic motif. Many painters from William Turner and Gustave Courbet to Gerhard Richter are enthralled by these storm swells. [...] Many of Weigand’s surfers seem destined to meet [the same] fate. They throw themselves into the unknown, are equally synonymous with independence as with risk-taking. Nevertheless, their faces are often filled with fear and terror when the surf lunges at the board and its rider, ultimately spitting them out as floating refuse. Weigand flies in the face of the stereotypical surfer culture image, infuses it with antique mythologies and brings the dark flip side of the eternal dreams of summer to the fore. He forces us to immerse ourselves in his massive bodies of water, he draws us into the depths of our own associations until the deepest layers are flushed to the surface.’ (Silvia Höller, After the Gold Rush, 2016)
13 January – 04 March 2017
In this solo exhibition at the Gabriele Senn Galerie, Hans Weigand elaborates on his utopian-classical and high-contrast visual vocabulary. The exhibition comprises only recent works. Recurring waves are fused with revitalised ancient techniques and motifs in the form of woodcarving and painting. The use of woodcarving as an art form was triggered by Weigand’s need for a slower pace of life and helps to outline his metaphorical contemplations of the world today.
‘As an allegory of the eternal cycle of genesis and demise, of vibrant life and indomitable elemental force, as a symbol of protest and unpredictability as well as of the mysterious depths of our collective subconscious, waves are a popular artistic motif. Many painters from William Turner and Gustave Courbet to Gerhard Richter are enthralled by these storm swells. [...] Many of Weigand’s surfers seem destined to meet [the same] fate. They throw themselves into the unknown, are equally synonymous with independence as with risk-taking. Nevertheless, their faces are often filled with fear and terror when the surf lunges at the board and its rider, ultimately spitting them out as floating refuse. Weigand flies in the face of the stereotypical surfer culture image, infuses it with antique mythologies and brings the dark flip side of the eternal dreams of summer to the fore. He forces us to immerse ourselves in his massive bodies of water, he draws us into the depths of our own associations until the deepest layers are flushed to the surface.’ (Silvia Höller, After the Gold Rush, 2016)