Katia Bourdarel and Reto Leibundgut combine the material for the joint exhibition ; Both have dealt with their latest work with textiles, but they differ in the implementation. In her latest paintings, Katia Bourdarel paints the fabrics so virtuously that it itches in the fingers and you want to touch the folds of the fabrics and their suppleness. At Reto Leibundgut, who usually recycles old, used waste material in his work, it is obvious that he creates pictures directly from old fabrics. In addition, the two artists combine the theme of nudity in their work.

Katia Bourdarel (born in Marseille in 1970, lives and works in Paris) obscures the models in her paintings, at least the face is not visible. The bodies are partly naked. It is not clear whether the figures adorn themselfs with beautiful colorful fabrics or whether they hide behind it. The faceless people seem to escape and float in the white space of the canvas. In addition to admiring the beautiful bodies and fabrics, Katia Bourdarel always gets a disturbing feeling. Who are these faceless characters, what do they want?

The works deal with the loss and recovery of identity, the artist plays with the presence and absence of the characters. In the new works of Katia Bourdarel a number of representational and enigmatic paintings have been created. In them stories evolve silently in a heavy and poetic atmosphere.

Reto Leibundgut (born 1966 in Büren zum Hof, Bern, lives and works in Basel) has created various textile images in which he refers to symbols derived from the religious environment and from pacifist or ecological movements. For example “Black Sun” a beautiful bright black fabric sun. As sublime as the picture seems at first glance, there is still some conventionality between the minutely ironed folds of the fabric. In another textile work, the motif of the dove appears in a sky of tiger and cheetah skin.

On large paper blackboards black-and-white fragments of bodies are collaged which, through kaleidoscope-like montage, lead to illusionistic images reminiscent of wallpaper patterns. With photographs from the collection of nudist culture of the 70s, the artist opens up a new and playful look at the female nude. Reto Leibundgut knows how to question our own view on cultural influences through its ambivalent imagery and the skilful and bizarre use of craftsmanship, while at the same time opening up new and conciliatory imagery.