a matter of time
duo exhibition by Roberta Cotterli and Claudio Zorzi, curated by Christina-Marie Lümen
November 17 – 26, 2023
Culterim Gallery | Backshop, Berlin
How do you look at a person who looks at you, not simply representing her?
The story of two artists. The idea of the one developed in the other’s painting, and these images influenced the practice of the one. The artist-couple Roberta Cotterli and Claudio Zorzi jointly present their work. Roberta Cotterli’s sculptures evaluate the story of the male body in art history. Claudio Zorzi’s portraits develop the idea of a modern Icon. Both practices investigate time, in form of process, art history, and time spent with the other.
Roberta Cotterli’s Target (2023) are the fragments of a male torso, its arms stretched upward and pierced by arrows. The sculpture recalls Renaissance depictions of Saint Sebastian. Despite the violence of the situation, the posture is elegant and strong. The resin resembles alabaster, light shines through the iridescent surface and the red colouring in the armpit and on the elbows evokes the natural shades of the marble. The impression is at the same time firm and fragile.
Cotterli has not worked with the male body before; up until now, her practice focused on the female body: intimate references to a girl’s childhood, busts and limbs of old women. While former works show the same ambiguity between strength and fragility, a new element is introduced with the male body: possession. All of Cotterli’s works in the exhibition recall stories in Christian iconography: Saint Sebastian, Saint John the Baptist or Holofernes, the motif of pietà. The male body is being wounded or slaughtered.
Trophy (2023) is the resin bust of a male head; again, the material recalls marble and references classical male portraiture, or Renaissance death masks. The expression of the face is peaceful, the violet colour below the eyes recalls bruises; it’s a gentle killing. There is an ambiguity between violence and caress, which is characteristic for Cotterli’s work. The light material and the moulding through the artist’s hands suggest empathy despite the brutal depiction.
In a similar vein, the woman in Roberta Wearing a Kimono (2023) looks firmly but gently upon the viewer. Her expression is questioning, her pose discrete and dignified. The woman resembles a Madonna or queen, her body seems to be shining and is lit from the back, the brim of the Kimono recalls a King’s – Queen’s – robe. Claudio Zorzi’s portraits approach their subjects from a perspective of constant change; the present paintings of Roberta Cotterli are an ongoing series, without the intention to pin down; they capture a process.
Roberta (portrait no. 8) (2023) is bold, provocative, and cool. The prosaic surroundings and the sitter’s relaxed pose recall the portraits by David Hockney and Alice Neel. A moment of observation and encounter, suspended tension between the sitter and the painter (viewer). The painting expresses a double emancipation: of the female sitter, who ceases to offer her body as an exchange good; and of the painter, who looks upon her without any sense of voyeurism. No male machismo, no female muse; these are exercises, and homages.
Roberta in front of the Mirror (portrait no. 10) (2023) shares the implication of a queen, however, a modern one. The floral motif of the kimono brings to mind Henri Matisse’s Odalisques, female portraits in an orientalist style, while the short haircut and the mirror arrangement evoke paintings from New Objectivity. The surface of the portrait is coarse, the image seems broken throughout. The artist works from photographs, applying numerous layers of paint in acrylic, oil, and shellack. During the slow process, Zorzi loses and recreates the figure again and again.
His portraits relate to the artist himself; they are a means of dialogue and self-discovery. As the most classical motif in art history, the portrait allows him to enter into a dialogue with previous artists and to develop their ideas. Throughout the process, Zorzi discovers a part of him along with the sitter. A pivotal role in his practice is given to the self-portrait: Transmutation (no. 11) (2022) recalls the Veil of Veronica, the imprint of Christ’s face on a piece of cloth, taken on his way to Mount Calvary. A captured moment in time, both as proof and inquiry.
While the Christian iconography and the motif of the head in Transmutation (no. 11) relate to Cotterli’s Trophy, her Pietàs (2023) manifests the meaning of the hands for both artists. Again, the sculpture shows a violent act, a pair of hands pierced by long nails. The gesture is not tense, though, but simultaneously giving and receiving. The title refers to the Roman concept of ‘pietas’, the virtue of perfectly fulfilling your duties towards the deities and your fellow human beings. Represented by a female goddess, it speaks of duty and devotion. The motif recalls the hands of Jesus and other Christian martyrs; they evoke compassion rather than pain. A moment of male duty (from the martyr/sitter), and of female devotion (from the goddess/artist). Likewise, the hands in Zorzi’s portraits of Roberta are executed with precision and form a visual counterweight to the heads. Their gesture expresses dignity, and in turn, a sense of (male) caring.
Despite their different media, the artists share specific concerns and references. Visual and material exploration are combined with art historical references and art sociological concerns. The exhibition centers around the question of muse and model, suggesting a play between intimate representation vs. presented intimacy. The works tell stories of the sitter and the artist, and the two of them together; they shift between artistic investigation and expressions of care. Classical motifs are taken up and continued; roles are turned around. Old Masters and Christian iconography intersect with the Contemporary. a matter of time.