Tobias Spichtig (*1982, Sempach, Switzerland; lives and works in Zurich and Berlin) paints his portraits in sharp, reduced lines, anonymizing the figures and giving them a gaunt, elongated appearance. Their obsessive, beautifully painted and simultaneously eerie features create an atmosphere that oscillates between mysticism, underlying discomfort and adoration. In a conscious countermovement to artistic conventions, Spichtig combines Goth aesthetics, references from the sacred space, and art-historical references, generating a palpable dissonance. At first sight they are reminiscent of paintings from the 1950’s or pop portraiture, they take a form of their own, a personal style. For his sculptures, the artist uses second-hand clothing, often from friends, which he immerses in resin and occasionally coats with nickel, or other metals.  Spichtig’s sculptural approach recalls a certain existentialist quality like the delicate and emaciated works of Alberto Giacometti, though unlike Giacometti they do not appear as distant walkers but instead as radical present ghosts.

Travis Boyer (*1979, Fort Worth, Texas; lives and works in New York City) is known for his vividly colored, sensuous paintings created through the application of dye on silk velvet. Using a meticulously developed technique—working on both sides of the velvet —Boyer achieves the distinctive depth, mesmerizing color gradations, and unique reflective qualities of his works. The artist draws from a wide array of pop culture references and themes of queer discourse, seamlessly integrating these into his creations. Employing hairstyling methods, Boyer sculpts and shapes the soft texture of the velvet, transforming it into a dynamic surface. His motifs are often drawn from his daily life and frequently carry sexual connotations: painted fruits, plants, or objects evoke bodily structures and phallic forms. By doing so, Boyer intentionally engages with the tactile quality of his works, provoking viewers’ desire to touch them.