Zilla Leutenegger: Rien de lourd

Galerie Peter Kilchmann

11-13 rue des Arquebusiers, Paris

Galerie Peter Kilchmann is pleased to present the first solo exhibition of the Swiss artist Zilla Leutenegger (*1968 in Zurich; lives and works in Zurich and Soazza) in its Paris gallery, titled "Rien de Lourd." Since the 1990s, Zilla Leutenegger has established herself in Switzerland and internationally with finesse and poetry as one of the artists who introduced video as an artistic medium. For this exhibition, the artist draws inspiration from the Olympic Games taking place in Paris this summer and creates a new body of works that playfully question the theme of sport and, more specifically, the way movements are inscribed in space. Through these works, Zilla Leutenegger, with her usual familiarity, plays with these contrasts, the movements produced by different disciplines, and an iconography of exhaustion. A drawn female figure is at the center of each scene depicted in the eleven monotypes and the two video installations, with ceramic works also exhibited in the gallery on rue des Arquebusiers. "Rien de Lourd" is also the title of one of the two video installations: projected on the wall, the shadow of a boxer passionately embraces a punching bag while three aluminum punching bags are suspended from the ceiling, their surfaces prepared and patinated to resemble the original black leather. Exhausted boxers hug their opponents during the fight and only completely relax once they catch their breath. This essential gesture in the discipline captivates the artist for its contradictions: this embrace is neither softer nor more affectionate. This abrupt and violent hug, lasting only a few seconds, precedes the continuation of a fervent fight. On the gallery walls, there is concrete interaction between the video projection and the various projected shadows. The installation unfolds its magic by revealing different forms and atmospheres depending on the spectator's position. A second video installation is projected in the gallery window (Heavy Bag, 2010), also alluding to boxing: the artist's alter-ego is depicted punching the moving bag. For further information, please contact: Audrey Turenne – audrey@peterkilchmann.com or Marina Hinkens - marina@peterkilchmann.com.