Reto Pulfer

Reto Pulfer, born in 1981 in Bern, Switzerland, creates immersive installations incorporating fabric, plants, drawings, paintings, and various found objects.

Reto Pulfer's Famous Works

Pulfer has created numerous installations, including "Ende-der-Welt-Kammer" (2013), "Angiozustand" (2020), "Blitzzustand" (2022), and many others. His "Die Loci der Ortie" (2015-2016) is designed as a pathway that guides viewers through a series of tents and objects, each symbolizing different mental and physical states. Reflecting the starkness of the dam and the artificial nature of Vassivière Island, Pulfer aims to transform Aldo Rossi and Xavier Fabre’s postmodern art center into a space for listening, remembrance, and unexpected interactions between the environment, sculpture, architecture, and music.

His notalbe performances include "Ginafius" (2015), "Dehydrierte Landschaft" (2015), "Tincti" (2019), and "Urintensivismus!" (2021). "Dehydrierte Landschaft" (Dehydrated Landscape) was designed as a pathway through a series of tent installations, featuring at its center a synesthetic artwork in the form of a large hemp net.

"Tincti" unfolded within the raw, unrefined space of the former depot room at the Museum der Kulturen. This immersive installation, featuring curtains, furniture, and rusty metal objects, created an atmosphere that oscillated between the familiar and the spectral. The prominent use of textiles in the installation, and in Pulfer's broader practice, reflected the museum building’s history. Scattered throughout the space are wild plants, which, along with the natural plant dyes used in the textiles, both evoke and distance themselves from traditional home décor. These wild plants underscore a longing for freedom, while the natural elements were further explored in Pulfer's performances.

Reto Pulfer has also created various wall-based works, including "Sacrum Planet" (2007-2019), "Zera Fingerhandformen (Nacht indigo)" (2013), "Zera Fingerhandformen (Rot-orange)" (2013), "Sauerkrapp & Achilles Tausendblatt" (2019), "Majoran sagt Hallo" (2019), and many more. 

Reto Pulfer's Art Style

Pulfer is a self-taught artist who crafts immersive installations using fabric, blending painting, sculpture, fictional writing, and soundscapes. He collaborates closely with natural processes, incorporating living plants into his sculptures. Pulfer's work embodies the German concept of "Zustand," reflecting the meditative state he achieves during his performances.

Often inspired by his surroundings in Uckermark, Germany, the artist uses readily available materials to explore the connections between humanity, nature, and the cosmos. His work offers a tangible, sensory, and immersive way of engaging with the natural world, highlighting the intimate and poetic relationships between history, biology, and materiality.

Exhibitions of Pulfer's Works

The artist has exhibited his works widely with solo shows held at various venues worldwide, including Hollybush Gardens in London, Spaced Out in Kerkow, Kunstverein Kunsthaus Potsdam, Centre Culturel Suisse in Paris, Lafayette Anticipations in Paris, Bärenzwinger in Berlin, Swiss Institute in New York, and many more. 

Additionally, Pulfer's works have been featured in numerous group shows, including "Burning Natures" at Rosenblut & Friedmann in Madrid (2023), "Soil to Soil" at Gebert Stiftung für Kultur in  St. Gallen (2022), "Die Fäden in der Hand" at Kunstplattform akku in Emmenbrücke (2019), among others. 

His work is part of notable collections including FRAC Limousin in France, the Centre National des Arts Plastiques in France, and Collection Lafayette Anticipations in Paris. It is also held by Sammlung Kunstkredit Baselland in Basel and the David Roberts Art Foundation in London.