Reto Pulfer

Reto Pulfer, hyperbolisch ratlos ortlos inhaltslos, 2015–21. Installation view at Lewis's Building, Liverpool Biennial 2021. Photography: Ben Nuttall

Reto Pulfer, hyperbolisch ratlos ortlos inhaltslos, 2015–21. Installation view at Lewis's Building, Liverpool Biennial 2021. Photography: Rob Battersby

Reto Pulfer, hyperbolisch ratlos ortlos inhaltslos, 2015–21. Installation view at Lewis's Building, Liverpool Biennial 2021. Photography: Ben Nuttall

Reto Pulfer, hyperbolisch ratlos ortlos inhaltslos, 2015–21. Installation view at Lewis's Building, Liverpool Biennial 2021. Photography: Ben Nuttall

Reto Pulfer, hyperbolisch ratlos ortlos inhaltslos, 2015–21. Installation view at Lewis's Building, Liverpool Biennial 2021. Photography: Ben Nuttall

Reto Pulfer, hyperbolisch ratlos ortlos inhaltslos, 2015–21. Installation view at Lewis's Building, Liverpool Biennial 2021. Photography: Stuart Whipps

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Reto Pulfer (b. 1981, Bern, Switzerland) lives and works in the Uckermark region of Germany. Pulfer is a self-taught artist who creates immersive installations made from fabric that incorporate painting, sculpture, fictional writing and soundscapes. Pulfer works closely with natural processes and making sculptures with living plants. Pulfer’s practice is defined by the German word “Zustand”, which describes the meditative state that Pulfer enters during his performances. Recent exhibitions include Museum of Modern Art, Paris (2019); Castello di Rivoli, Turin (2018); Kunsthalle Basel (2018); X Bienal de Nicaragua, Nicaragua (2016); Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Germany (2015); and Spike Island, UK (2015).

Project Description

Reto Pulfer presented a newly commissioned site-specific work titled hyperbolisch ratlos ortlos inhaltslos (2015–21) at The Lewis’s Building. Consisting of immersive textile installations, the work focuses on the relationship between the body and nature. Inspired by his memories of growing up near Switzerland’s largest landscape garden, and his relocation to the Uckermark region of Germany, the work begins with the process of extracting natural pigments from plants and applying the dye onto hand-sewn fabrics, recycled bedsheets, paper and wood to form environmental sculptures. Reflecting the artist’s state of mind, the resulting textiles and objects emerge as large tent-like structures to create a universe which embodies the transformational possibilities of nature. In his live performances he interacts with the space and the objects within it – articulating the fluidity between the body and nature, which both affect and are affected by the other.

Commissioned by Liverpool Biennial with support from Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia, Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen, Swiss Cultural Fund UK and Hollybush Gardens, London.

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