Paul Hutzli

My works are often fragile, made of poor or ephemeral materials. Unlike traditionalmediums associated with fine arts, they do not claim to stand the test of time—or, at anyrate, do not shield themselves from it. I draw, paint and sculpt them, creating installationsthat engage with their context. The techniques and crafts I use are associated withamateur practices or children’s activities, whose poetic and political potential I explore.

Carnival is an important source of inspiration for me. It has long been a space filled withpopular traditions and folktales, and was—and in some contexts remains—anextraordinary moment where masks, the reversal of authority, satire, and excess aretolerated, serving as an outlet until it comes to an end and the participants return to theirdaily lives. I am very interested in the repression of these practices since the 15th century,because certain aspects of this historical period—such as primitive accumulation (theaccumulation of value and wealth through violence as described by Silvia Federici inCaliban and the Witch), the disciplining of populations and the restriction of individualfreedoms— seem to echo the contemporary rise of the far right, austerity policies and thethreat of tech giants imposing a new era of techno-feudalism.

I therefore pay particular attention to the relationships between individuals and theirenvironment, as well as to the power dynamics, conventions, and norms that permeate theinstitutions that surround us. I use carnival as a method, not in the hope of subversion, butas a way to reveal the tensions that underlie our daily lives.