13.2.–21.3.09

The Bernese Marius Lüscher has been inwardly working as a self-taught artist for a couple of years, creating an impressive oeuvre.

After several appearances in the Kunsthaus Aargau, the Kunsthalle Bern, the space of art Oktogon or at our gallery, he is now showing his works to a greater extent. In addition to the already known paintings, sculptures are being shown for the first time.

Marius Lüscher`s pictorial work is being distinguished by two main movements.

On the one hand Lüscher`s abstract paintings take over the more important part. They stand out through their daring choice of color. Using a paintbrush, he is working through many lay-ers of thin oil paint. He creates fascinating compositions, using the flow of wet color and transparent color application. Lines are meandering, forms are dissolving; surfaces are struc-turing the delicately created, pseudo organic structure. While the smaller picture sizes are forming almost seed like shapes, the large formats are growing into wonderful poetic prolif-erations. The white background keeps the strong colors grounded, but lets them breathe anyway. The formations are gently composed, always surprising with an unusual composi-tion of the picture. For once “Untitled” isn’t an empty word, making way to all kind of possible associations, evoked by the works. On the other hand Marius Lüscher is working on mono-chrome, geometrically structured color field painting. Definite forms are grouping the image area. Using thick application of paint, he has created fascinating picture worlds, whose play of color can only be captured with the changing light conditions. These fully surfaced, silver and black painted works are occupying the space, utilizing every inch. They literally draw the viewers into the picture. The title “Flat land” seems to prove true at first sight; but looking at it more closely, the land isn’t plain at all: mountains and valleys can be seen, whereas the forms seem to go back and forth between micro- and macrocosmic shapes.

The different works on paper in the cabinet room are evidences of the artist’s almost manic demand to explore and interpret his original repertoire of forms in all kinds of different varia-tions- or to find new solutions for problems of forms. He is approaching different techniques; experimental monotypes are hanging besides classic drawings. Marius Lüscher is a virtuosic illustrator. It is fascinating to witness the genesis of the form and to explore drawings, which can be found again in the large compositions.

The sculptures are shown for the very first time- amorphous figures covered with a silvery luster. They seem to root or stretch out “stalactite-stalagmite like”, claiming their space. Ar-rangements in the drawings or paintings, are finding their three dimensional transformation. The sculptures literally seem to move, integrating themselves harmoniously into the room, sharing it with the other works. Embracing every single work of the artist, the circle closes itself in a wonderful way. Being a never ending search for an individual, yet however univer-sal style.

Bernhard Bischoff, February 2009

Translation: Patsy Kornfeld