Marc Jancou Contemporary is happy to present On Words and Images, Pascal Vonlanthen’s first solo exhibition with the gallery. The show, which opens on the 6th of September and runs until the 3rd of October 2021, brings together a series of new drawings by the Fribourg-based artist made between 2018 and 2021.
Occupying a unique space between drawing and writing, in his recent works Vonlanthen uses a combination of colour markers, felt tips, pencils and pens on paper or cardboard to create compositions that are formed from both his own handwritten versions of text —words and individual letters usually copied from newspapers and other publications— as well as other graphic marks and visual elements.
Unable to write or read himself, it could be argued that Vonlanthen’s grasp of written language is purely a graphic one. And yet, we learn from Balthazar Lovay’s insightful essay for the exhibition catalogue that Vonlanthen does in fact recognise his writings as "words and phrases”, as a means to communicate, as something other than purely as abstract symbols. Perhaps, it is this unique relationship to the written word that allows the artist to make works that present such a daring, instinctive and enthralling take on text which through expanding and contracting on the page presents a play with language that invites associations to a number of text works of the 20th century and especially concrete poetry.
Born in 1957 in Rossens, Switzerland where he lived until 2009 Pascal Vonlanthen who is self-taught has long been an active member of Fribourg’s CREAHM. His move to the city of Fribourg more than a decade ago marked a deeper involvement with the workshop and arguably also the development of his text-based works for which he is now best known.
The exhibition will be accompanied by a limited edition catalogue published by Marc Jancou Contemporary with a catalogue essay by Balthazar Lovay.
For appointments to visit the show please contact: