Urs Lüthi. More or less

We present exhibition Urs Lüthi. More or less by Swiss conceptual artist Urs Lüthi in his first solo exhibition in Spain. It is based on one of his fundamental research topics, being focused on identity and self-image.

«The foundation of my work is the human condition. My conception arose in the mid 1960's. It is based on the conviction that one can only experience the world and understand it in a subjective way. I don't believe in subjectivity and, as part of a radical approach, I've taken myself as the subject of my art 'as mirror of the universe.» Urs Lüthi

Since 1974, when the first public presentation took place, his body has become the main material for his artistic works. Ambivalent and ironic self-portraits constitute a kitsch and illusionist reflection on the body, time, and life. Moreover, his plastic universe is a personal interpretation of body art and displays an ironic psychological play between the self and the other self, the masculine and the feminine.

From autobiographical and subjective experience, he arrives to a social and existential critique embracing the whole of society. Inspired by Duchamp's Rrose Sèlavy, he develops the theme of sexual ambiguity and androgynous myth. For Lüthi, disguise means breaking taboo of sexuality, crossing identity barriers, and playing with the relationship between reality and fiction, associated with a continuous reference of meaning. Subjectivity and objectivity are relative concepts. Thus, what matters is to be able to make visible the many aspects under which reality manifests itself

The artistic research of Urs Lüthi is distinguished by the remarkable agility that set the basis of the artist in different fields of expression: photography, sculpture, performance, screen printing, video, and painting.
 
He has starred in numerous exhibitions in important institutions around the world, such as: Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam; Zurich Kunsthaus; Kunstmuseum Winterthur; Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago; National Center for Art and Culture Georges Pompidou in Paris; Nationalgalerie and Neue Berliner Kunstverein in Berlin; Musée d'Art Contemporain de Lyon; Hara Museum of Contemporary Art in Tokyo; Vienna Kunsthalle; Ludwig Museum in Budapest; Museum of Contemporary Art of Santiago de Chile; Tate Modern in London; Palais de Tokio and Musée d'Orsay in Paris; Kunstmuseum Lucerne; MARTHA of Herford; Institute of Contemporary Art in Philadelphia; MAMC of Saint-Etienne; MAMCO of Geneva; Parkview Museum in Singapore; Palazzo Grassi – Punta della Dogana in Venice and MOCA in Toronto.

On the other hand, he has participated in international artistic events such as: Trigon '73, Graz (Austria, 1973); 13. São Paulo Biennial (Brazil, 1975); Documenta 6, Kassel (Germany, 1977); Sydney Biennale (Australia, 1978); II Internazionale Foto Triennale, Esslingen, (Germany, 1992); Seoul Biennale, (Korea, 1995); 49th Venice Biennale (Italy, 2001).