Silvia Gertsch, Xerxes Ach

Despite stylistic differences, there are striking similarities to be drawn between the works of the artist couple Silvia Gertsch and Xerxes Ach, who share the studio in Switzerland where their most recent works were created. Gertsch’s summertime compositions, created through her reverse-glass painting technique, feature young people sunbathing or strolling the streets, as well as children absorbed in play. A contemporary realist, Gertsch focuses on moments from everyday life, collecting fleeting visual impressions that would otherwise be forgotten in their banality. Ach, a color-field abstractionist, creates colorful explorations of the ways light is reflected and refracted by different surfaces, translating the reality of what we see into a compelling cosmic view. Both artists use the medium of photography to capture transitory moments in time that form a fascinating starting point for reflections on ephemerality.

Featuring two hundred full-color illustrations and organized in collaboration with the Museum of Fine Arts Bern, Silvia Gertsch, Xerxes Ach puts this two important Swiss artists in spirited dialogue.