ART CITIES:Salzburg-Not Vital

Not Vital, HEAD + Chimney, 2016, Ceramic, Various dimensions, Photo: Jonti Wilde, Courtesy Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac London/Paris/SalzburgNot Vital’s practice is influenced by his nomadic lifestyle. Born in 1948 in Sent, a village located in scenic valley of the Engadin in the Swiss Alps, at the age of 18, he started travelling the world, immersing himself in the cultures of the places where he settled successively: New York, India, Niger, Brazil, Patagonia, the Philippines. Since 2008, he has established a studio in Beijing, where he spends five months a year. He met skilled craftsmen who allowed him to apprehend materials in a free way and imagine without technical boundaries.

By Dimitris Lempesis
Photo: Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac Archive

Combining sculptures, installations and works on paper, Not Vital’s solo exhibition “David & Goliath”  features a selection of his most recent works. The exhibition presents ceramic “HEAD” sculptures, made in Jingdezhen, the city renowned for being the capital of ceramics in China. Drawing inspiration from the impressive chimneys used to fire the kiln, Not Vital adapted the ancestral techniques of Chinese ceramics to produce totem-like sculptures, among the highest ever realized in this medium. Not Vital also present five marble sculptures made of Dali stone, a type of white marble named after the region of Dali in southern China. The marble pieces have been sliced open to reveal the hidden landscape-like lines within the texture, echoing the rugged alpine scenery of his birthplace. His series of “POLES” (2016) is a reference to the road signs used during the periods of snow in his native Engadine. Presented individually or in groups against a wall, they become totems featuring at their top elements reminiscent of sculptures previously realized by the artist. The artist is also interested in the sculptural presence of the bone and gives the skeleton an architectural dimension. “Pelvis” (2008) is an enlarged version of a camel’s pelvic bone that epitomizes the close relationship Not Vital maintains with the animal world in his work. Inspired by his on-going nomadism, “A Plane, A Boat, A Car, A Sled” (2011) combines a variety of forms to materialize an imaginary and universal vehicle that expresses the multiplicity of means of transport necessary to reach the remote places where he settles.

Info: Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Vilniusstrasse 13, Salzburg, Duration: 29/7-31/8/17, Days & Hours: During the Summer Festival: Mon-Sat 10:00-18:00, http://ropac.net

Not Vital, Landscape, 2013, Marble and plaster, 50 x 74 x 18 cm, Photo: Philippe Servent, Courtesy Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac London/Paris/Salzburg
Not Vital, Landscape, 2013, Marble and plaster, 50 x 74 x 18 cm, Photo: Philippe Servent, Courtesy Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac London/Paris/Salzburg

 

 

Not Vital, Pelvis, 2008, Stainless Steel, 386 x 341 x 146 cm, Photo: Jonti Wilde, Courtesy Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac London/Paris/Salzburg
Not Vital, Pelvis, 2008, Stainless Steel, 386 x 341 x 146 cm, Photo: Jonti Wilde, Courtesy Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac London/Paris/Salzburg

 

 

Not Vital, Boat, A Car, A Sled, 2011, Stainless steel, 150 x 160 x 60 cm, Photo: Philippe Servent, Courtesy Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac London/Paris/Salzburg
Not Vital, A Boat, A Car, A Sled, 2011, Stainless steel, 150 x 160 x 60 cm, Photo: Philippe Servent, Courtesy Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac London/Paris/Salzburg

 

 

Not Vital, David and Goliath, 2016, Stainless steel, Each 300 x 6 x 4 cm, Photo: Joschi Herczeg, Courtesy Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac London/Paris/Salzburg
Not Vital, David and Goliath, 2016, Stainless steel, Each 300 x 6 x 4 cm, Photo: Joschi Herczeg, Courtesy Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac London/Paris/Salzburg