Floating High by Thierry Feuz
THIERRY FEUZ (AU/CH)
FLOATING HIGH
APRIL 28 – MAY 26, 2023
Galleri Christoffer Egelund is proud to present Thierry Feuz’ new solo show “Floating High”, the Swiss-Austrian artist’s 6th solo show at the gallery. Thierry Feuz’ artistic vision sees a unique visualization of science mixed with dynamic and colorful formal innovation. The exhibition, which consists of new paintings, sculptures and works on paper, can be experienced at Bredgade 75 in Copenhagen from April 28th to May 26th 2023.
Art and science are usually considered polar opposites: While art operates in a free space without rules, science is governed by unshakable natural laws and logical calculation. But as Thierry Feuz’ art demonstrates, this clear-cut division between unshackled fabulation and strict computation may not describe the relationship between art and science as accurately as we think.
Inspired by Powers of Ten (1977), a short film by designers Charles and Ray Eames visualizing the immense difference in size in our universe, from the largest galaxies to tiny atoms and quarks, Thierry Feuz’ art takes us on a colorful journey into the world of microorganisms. His large acrylic and lacquer paintings are made by laying the canvas horizontally and pouring the paint onto the surface, gravity creating abstract patterns that become part of the final look. The paintings’ subjects hail from the invisible world of bacteria, germs and other microorganisms that surrounds us at all times. Swimming around with their long, filamentous tails, Thierry Feuz’ abstract microorganisms intermingle in a kaleidoscopic vision of color, pattern and texture, mimicking the view through a microscope. By giving artistic expression to that which is normally invisible to the naked eye, Feuz draws our attention to the fact that we are surrounded by myriad living worlds, complex systems that exist without our thinking about them – and to the fact that we ourselves are but small parts of a huge cosmos that contains so much more than we could ever know. By letting some of his subjects be set against a white background, and others against colored and dark backgrounds, Thierry Feuz creates a connection between the microscopic and the cosmic plane of existence; one moment, we appear to be looking at a backlit microscope slide, while the next we are “Floating High” among colorful stars and galaxies, fully aware that we are but microscopic beings ourselves compared to the expansiveness of the infinite universe.
However, Thierry Feuz’ art is not only a depiction of the different levels of scale of the universe as seen through the eyes of science. By organizing his abstract organisms in bouquet-like formations, often endowing them with green tails and leaf-like textures, Thierry Feuz makes us doubt whether we are actually looking at a contemporary flower painting. It is like looking at the famous optical illusion, the Rubin Vase: Either you see two faces facing each other, or you see the vase that the negative space between them makes up. Likewise with Theirry Feuz’ paintings; one moment you see colorful germs and microbes, the next you see a beautiful modern bouquet of flowers. But maybe, the fabulous flowers are not as incompatible with the frankness of science as it seems. Since flower painting as a genre became popular during the 17th century, one of the main purposes of depicting an array of different flowers has always been to contain the manifold aspects of the known world within the borders of the canvas. By depicting different of species of flowers from all over the world, and by depicting birds, reptiles and insects, the classical flower painting aims to contain as many references to the complete world view of its time as possible. With their visual references to stars, galaxies and black holes on one side, and germs and microbes on the other, Thierry Feuz’ works become modern incarnations of the world-unifying work of art, artistic microcosms reflecting the whole of the macrocosm.
Thus, Thierry Feuz is an artist who manages to unite the visually spectacular with the deeply meaningful. His works are not empty formal exercises that are only concerned with the look of the 2D surface. They are both visually innovative, combining the polished with the dynamic and untamed, and profoundly thought provoking, each of them making up a unified microcosm that rewards the viewer with many layers of meaning.
Thierry Feuz was born in Vienna in 1968 and lives and works in Vienna and Genève. He holds a Master of Fine Art from the University of Art and Design in Genève, a Bachelor of Fine Arts from École Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Genève and a Bachelor in Art History from Université de Neuchâtel. He has exhibited at galleries and museums across Europe, The United States, Asia and The Middle East. His art is featured in prominent collections like UBS (CH), Pizzuti Collection (US), Musée d’Art et d’Histoire (CH), Fonds Municipal d’Art Contemporain (CH), Vejle Kunstmuseum (DK), Singapore Art Foundation (SG), Wellington Management Company Collection (GB), Crédit Suisse, Zürich (CH), Bank Julius Bär (CH), Lego Group (DK) and many others. He has received prizes and grants from, among others, Atelier Le Corbusier (FR), Universität der Künste (DE), Atelier de Neuchâtel (DE), Fondazione Schiaredo (CH), Musée des Beaux-Arts, Biennale de la Chaux-de-Fonds (CH).
Join us at the exhibition opening and meet the artist at Bredgade 75 on the 28th of April 2023 from 16:00 to 19:00. For further information and sales requests, please contact the gallery at: hello@christofferegelund.dk or at +45 33 93 92 00. Visit us at Bredgade 75, DK-1260 Copenhagen K, Denmark. Opening hours: Wednesday-Friday 15:00-18:00, Saturday 12:00-16:00, or by appointment.
