Reto Pulfer
01 Jun - 18 Aug 2024
Reto Pulfer, «Fachzustand», exhibition view, 2024. Photo: Kunst Halle Sankt Gallen, E. Sommer. Courtesy: the artist and Hollybush Gardens, London.
Reto Pulfer, «Fachzustand», exhibition view, 2024. Photo: Kunst Halle Sankt Gallen, E. Sommer. Courtesy: the artist and Hollybush Gardens, London.
Reto Pulfer, Tunnel, 2024. Photo: Kunst Halle SanktGallen, E. Sommer. Courtesy: the artist and Hollybush Gardens, London.
Reto Pulfer, «Fachzustand», exhibition view, 2024. Photo: Kunst Halle Sankt Gallen, E. Sommer. Courtesy: the artist and Hollybush Gardens, London.
Reto Pulfer, «Fachzustand», exhibition view, 2024. Photo: Kunst Halle Sankt Gallen, E. Sommer. Courtesy: the artist and Hollybush Gardens, London.
Reto Pulfer, «Fachzustand», exhibition view, 2024. Photo: Kunst Halle Sankt Gallen, E. Sommer. Courtesy: the artist and Hollybush Gardens, London.
Reto Pulfer, «Fachzustand», exhibition view, 2024. Photo: Kunst Halle Sankt Gallen, E. Sommer. Courtesy: the artist and Hollybush Gardens, London.
Reto Pulfer, Tunnel, detail, 2024. Photo: Kunst Halle Sankt Gallen, E. Sommer. Courtesy: the artist and Hollybush Gardens, London.
Reto Pulfer, Kurumina schreibt auf (Theaceas Traum), detail, 2015–2018. Photo: Kunst Halle Sankt Gallen, E. Sommer. Courtesy: the artist and Hollybush Gardens, London.
Reto Pulfer, Kuruminas kurkuma-gelben Multtücher (Theaceaes Traum), detail, 2008–2018. Photo: Kunst Halle Sankt Gallen, E. Sommer. Courtesy: the artist and Hollybush Gardens, London.
Reto Pulfer (*1981 in Berne/CH) transforms architecture. With self-sewn tents, oversized lengths of fabric, repurposed bedsheets, and colored linen, the artist, raised in Arlesheim near Basel, turns existing spaces into translucent worlds. His textile universes don't offer any predetermined points of orientation. Instead, they are an opportunity to get lost and experience familiar surroundings in a new light. As visitors, we become integral parts of his installations, which he brings to life through performances and his own sound compositions.
For his solo show «Fachzustand», the artist is planning a new installation piece for the Kunst Halle Sankt Gallen. An elongated, semi-transparent corridor made from converted fabrics will redefine the rooms on the ground floor of the 120-year-old warehouse. In combination with existing works, embroideries and a new woven piece, Reto Pulfer makes reference to the centuries-old textile tradition of the city of St.Gallen. Pulfer places particular importance on the ecological use of materials, which is why he primarily works with repurposed and recycled pieces of fabric. He will also create a site-specific work in the outdoor space of the Kunst Halle, featuring the controversial stinging nettle as its protagonist. The plant, utilised for medicine, food, and textile raw material, already makes an appearance in Pulfer’s novel Gina. A Zustand Novel. With gardening and engaging in nature as central practices in his work, Pulfer will create a habitat for nettle plants in the backyard of the Kunst Halle, connecting his architectural transformations to the public space.
The exhibition title plays with two versatile concepts. Zustand, German for current state, hints at the ephemerality of Pulfer’s tent-like installations, shape-shifting in every show and often repurposed for newer arrangements. Zustand also refers to the state of mind that Pulfer’s works evoke by creating spaces of affect. Fach, a technical term from weaving, is dedicated to the centuries-old textile tradition of the St.Gallen region. In preparation for this solo show, Pulfer familiarised himself with weaving techniques, acquiring both a weaving frame and a loom. Fach is the term used to describe the shed, which is the temporary opening created between the warp yarns through which the weft is woven. It is a poetic and even musical space, dynamically opening and closing amidst taut strings. Fach also refers to field of expertise, considering that Pulfer’s self- taught practice spans many techniques and approaches.
The textile cosmos of «Fachzustand» will transform into a soundscape during both the Summer Party on July 6 and the Finissage on August 18, as Reto Pulfer invites us to a performance and concert featuring guest artists and some sound objects he built himself.
For his solo show «Fachzustand», the artist is planning a new installation piece for the Kunst Halle Sankt Gallen. An elongated, semi-transparent corridor made from converted fabrics will redefine the rooms on the ground floor of the 120-year-old warehouse. In combination with existing works, embroideries and a new woven piece, Reto Pulfer makes reference to the centuries-old textile tradition of the city of St.Gallen. Pulfer places particular importance on the ecological use of materials, which is why he primarily works with repurposed and recycled pieces of fabric. He will also create a site-specific work in the outdoor space of the Kunst Halle, featuring the controversial stinging nettle as its protagonist. The plant, utilised for medicine, food, and textile raw material, already makes an appearance in Pulfer’s novel Gina. A Zustand Novel. With gardening and engaging in nature as central practices in his work, Pulfer will create a habitat for nettle plants in the backyard of the Kunst Halle, connecting his architectural transformations to the public space.
The exhibition title plays with two versatile concepts. Zustand, German for current state, hints at the ephemerality of Pulfer’s tent-like installations, shape-shifting in every show and often repurposed for newer arrangements. Zustand also refers to the state of mind that Pulfer’s works evoke by creating spaces of affect. Fach, a technical term from weaving, is dedicated to the centuries-old textile tradition of the St.Gallen region. In preparation for this solo show, Pulfer familiarised himself with weaving techniques, acquiring both a weaving frame and a loom. Fach is the term used to describe the shed, which is the temporary opening created between the warp yarns through which the weft is woven. It is a poetic and even musical space, dynamically opening and closing amidst taut strings. Fach also refers to field of expertise, considering that Pulfer’s self- taught practice spans many techniques and approaches.
The textile cosmos of «Fachzustand» will transform into a soundscape during both the Summer Party on July 6 and the Finissage on August 18, as Reto Pulfer invites us to a performance and concert featuring guest artists and some sound objects he built himself.