In his exhibition, Not Vital references Spescha’s early paintings and sculptures. He juxtaposes the archaic formal language that Spescha developed in his large-format abstract paintings and spatial works with a series of new works that similarly draw on primitive forms.

Address
Sazi d’art Matias Spescha, Via Fabrica 13, 7166 Trun

Opening Hours 2025 Season
During the exhibition weeks from September 6 to November 16, Friday to Monday, 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM
During the renovation phases, the SPAZI D’ART MATIAS SPESCHA will be closed.

Opening
Saturday, September 16, 2025, 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM

Admission 2024
Regular CHF 10, Youths 16-20 CHF 5. Free admission for Trun Cultura members and children and young people up to 15 years of age.

Kombiticket myth Museum Sursilvan Cuort Ligia Grischa (valid until the end of the exhibition) CHF 17.- / 8.-

Arrival
By public transport: to Trun train station, then a 10-minute walk.
By car: parking spaces at the town hall or at the village exit opposite the Sursilvan Museum.

Not Vital’s exhibition brings the homage to Matias Spescha full circle with another surprising approach to his early paintings. The focus is on works from the 1960s and 1970s, which are characterized by a distinctive painting style. Vital recognizes interesting parallels to his own working method, which he wishes to explore.

The archaic plays an essential role in Not Vital’s extensive oeuvre. Whether it’s the depiction of a series of impaled heads, interpreted as trophies, or those that miraculously transform into Prussian-blue planets radiating from the universe, many of these anthropomorphic forms, reminiscent of the origins of foreign cultures, were created during Not Vital’s stays in countries such as China and Brazil. Often, the objects, trapped behind panes of glass, radiate hidden powers that speak while simultaneously concealing their secrets.

With his paintings of the early 1960s, Matias Spescha explored French Art Informel and Abstract Expressionism. His figures, too, possess a genuinely archaic quality. With their flowing contours and the materiality of the paint-soaked, coarse-mesh jute, the monochrome picture surfaces, often divided into three vertical segments, evoke a vague physicality. Filled with a dim, intrinsic light, the initially flat outlines take shape and begin to breathe like the shadows of a dream creature.

Further parallels to Spescha’s work can be found in Not Vital’s installation-based approach and his preference for combining different techniques, not only to his paintings and spatial installations, but especially to his sculptures. This second aspect will also be given due attention in the exhibition.

Not Vital will create a series of new works specifically for this exhibition, including paintings, smaller sculptures, and drawings. They will enter into a dialogue with Spescha’s paintings from the 1960s and 1970s, as well as with models of his sculptures. An event in the presence of the artist will also complement the program.