Yvon Lambert

Christian Vetter

21 May - 26 Jun 2010

© Christian Vetter
Monument for the letter A, 2010 (detail)
bricks, styrofoam and paper
51 1/2 x 15 3/4 x 15 3/4 in (130.8 x 40 x 40 cm)
CHRISTIAN VETTER
“The Presence of Absence”

May 21 – June 26, 2010
Opening reception: Friday, May 21, from 6 – 8pm

Yvon Lambert New York
550 West 21 Street, New York

Yvon Lambert New York is pleased to announce The Presence of Absence, Christian Vetterʼs first solo exhibition in the United States. The Presence of Absence will feature new paintings, works on paper, and sculpture by the artist and will run concurrently with a solo exhibition by Anna Gaskell. Both exhibitions will open with a reception for the artists on Friday, May 21 from 6-8pm and will be on view until June 26, 2010.
Christian Vetter explores matters of the human condition in his practice, often using painting as a medium for this investigation. While questioning its continued relevance, Vetter remains dedicated to examining painting and its limitations, as well as its representational possibilities. The artist has painted exclusively in black and white since 2007, using a lack of color to emphasize both the abstraction and the structure of his work, a structure that reflects the artist’s own methods of thinking. Vetterʼs works maintain a vitality and boldness in spite of his chosen color palette; this dynamism is a result of their strikingly graphic, architectural nature. The artist considers the act of painting to represent the transition of mind to matter. Thus, for Vetter, painting is highly communicative, expressing the ideas and meanings that he imbeds in the work.
The Presence of Absence constitutes an examination of the connections between the language of painting and the written word. Thirty-three works on paper each feature a phrase, many humorous, such as “Hate at First Sight” or “Define Vagueness.” The exhibition also features three large canvas paintings, two of which feature text. A sculpture on view by Vetter, made from bricks, styrofoam, and paper, forms a monument to the letter “A”, with the letter rising off the paper and standing triumphantly atop the work. While Vetter does not confine himself solely to painting, he lends his painterly attention to detail to the other mediums in which he works, delving thoroughly into his investigation of language and expression.
Christian Vetter was born in 1970, and lives and works in Zurich, Switzerland. Vetter has had solo exhibitions at institutions including: Trudelhaus, Baden; Villa Merkel, Museum der Stadt Esslingen/Stuttgart; Kunstmuseum St.Gallen; Museum Langmatt, Baden. He has participated in group shows at venues including: Musée des Beaux-Arts, Le Lôcle; SMAK, Gent; Contemporary Art Centre, Vilnius; Kunstmuseum Bern; Art en Ile, Genève; Museum MARTa, Herford; Reto Ganz Kunstraum, Zürich; Kunsthaus Zürich.
 

Tags: Anna Gaskell, Christian Vetter