André Quirinus Zurbriggen

The captivated gaze
ANDRÉ QUIRINUS ZURBRIGGEN
Light, colors, shapes – everything has its own unique luster. The gaze is rapt, immersed; the ob- server holds their breath. Silence – and then suddenly twinkling eyes; an awakening; breathing resumes. Was it a dream? Did I lose myself in the act of seeing?
My artistic works revolve around belief, the act of seeing and the gaze.
I view art as less about the production of something identically new, and much more about the appreciation of that which already exists, but which we haven’t yet consciously noticed. In my view, conscious appreciation means realizing when something is looking at us – looking back at us. But how do I shape this act?
I observe and identify the unique artistic potential of raw materials, be they objects of nature or culture. This involves exploring and uncovering their latent potential. I rearrange the objects, add to them and thus transport them into a completely new mold – a new context. In the act of creating art, which corresponds to that of establishing a connection, a merging, an evolution, the found objects take on a new destiny, they gain expression and substance. The everyday item earns a new description, it is transformed and given new life.
I take what already exists and preserve it: the new shape adds something to the original and “the captivated gaze” becomes a trigger, as well as a content.
(written by Christine Pfammatter & André Quirinus Zurbriggen)