Exhibition: Fish, Bird, Man and more

Christian Hablützel's exhibition at the 'Haus am See' in Unteraegeri  is imbued with a zest for life and positivity.

“I’m a colourful bird and like to show my colours." That’s how Zurich artist Christian Hablützel summed up his basic attitude when he opened his exhibition at the Haus am See in Unterägeri last Friday. He himself also likes to appear in colourful clothes, and radiates joie de vivre and positivity. This is also inherent in his art.

Christian Hablützel's specialities are sculptural objects made of steel wire and so-called 3D pictures, a combination of wire objects and acrylic painting. Simple figures, inspired by nature and thereby mostly depicting humans or animals, welded from bent round iron and mounted at some distance to the background on canvas that is painted with an intense, usually graduated shade of colour. Depending on the incidence of light, they cast their shadows in different directions and come to life.

Ambassadors of humour
Hablützel sees the facets of life caricatured in his figures, be it themes such as eating and being eaten, life as a dance, bitter truths or the lustful lovemaking between people.

Iron sculptures and 3D images are the trademark of artist Christian Hablützel
The "Happy Kobolds" are ambassadors of humour.            Photos: Andreas Faessler

Christian Hablützel's "Happy Kobolds", colourful creatures with expressive faces made of iron wire, are particularly cheerful. They too cast their shadows on walls and ceilings when they are in the light. It’s an original art form that also fits into a child's room. He himself sees his goblins as ambassadors of humour. "Their basic message is that there is always positivity in life," says the artist, who loves water in particular, but also draws on the other elements as inspiration for his creations.

The element of water is reflected in particular in his fish sculptures, which can be found several times in the 3D pictures as well as in the exhibition as solitary iron objects on pedestals. The opening was preceded by the unveiling of a Hablützel sculpture in Lake Aegeri, a stone's throw away from the exhibition on the quay. (You can read about this object next week).

The exhibition by Christian Hablützel at the Haus am See Unterägeri lasts until 11 June