11.05.2026-01.16.2027
BURNING PICTURES
Christian Scholz, photographie & El Stoff, art textile
The Patrick Gutknecht Gallery is pleased to present, for the first time, more than 35 works by Christian Scholz and El Stoff as part of the exhibition “Burning Pictures.” Both artists live and work in Zurich and have maintained close ties with French-speaking Switzerland for decades.
El Stoff’s creations are unique pieces of textile art, ranging from small to large formats. As for the photographs by Christian Scholz, who was born in Stockholm, they feature undeniably contemporary subjects (such as “The White House”), even though they were taken 20, 30, or even 40 years ago—whether in French-speaking Switzerland, Nice, Paris, or the United States. Whether they are vintage prints or recent prints, they “burn” within him, in both color and black-and-white. This is particularly true of works such as “Once upon a time” (New York, 1984) and “Drei stille Stunden” (Portugal, 1985). Scholz’s works are included in public and private collections in Zurich, Basel, Bern, and French-speaking Switzerland, as well as at the National Portrait Gallery in London and the Centre Pompidou in Paris. Of particular note is his extensive project “Portraitwerk Schweiz” (1990–2020). This artistic project comprises a complete edition of 501 large-format black-and-white prints intended for the Photo Elysée (Lausanne), as well as a collection of 2,026 works donated to the Swiss Confederation to mark the bicentennial of the invention of photography by Joseph N. Niépce.
El Stoff, born in Chur and whose works are included in public and private collections, also presents creations with special personal significance, drawing inspiration from her family history or her fondness for certain depictions of animals and landscapes. Her exhibited pieces, all one-of-a-kind, are made from both used and new fabrics. Works such as “Abendsonne am Silser See” (2026) raise questions about value, duration, and memory. These are unique collages, imbued with a keen sensitivity to color, form, and material (denim, silk, cotton) in a poetic and playful spirit. These textile works are rich in narrative, evoking in particular the mountainous world of the Engadine; creations that are “enduringly moving and surprisingly fresh,” according to experts.
Image
El STOFF
Piz Julier, 2023
Assemblage de fragments de tissus