Uwe Wittwer (*1954 in Zurich) inquires into and disrupts expectations and viewing habits. The entrancing beauty and sensuousness of his paintings and watercolors lure the viewer into a world of ambiguity. Only a second glance reveals that the apparent aesthetic innocence of the middle class he portrays is actually a kind of latent horror. Captured in a blur, the still lifes, interiors, landscapes, and portraits avoid obvious interpretation, so that the question of what is "real" and what is "fake," where the facade or razzle-dazzle begins and ends, remains open. Fascinated by the imagery of the Old Masters, Wittwer digitally processes the source materials he takes from the Internet and lends them a sense of texture by means of paint, canvas, and paper. His groups of works revolve concentrically around the issue of the reality behind the image. This is the first comprehensive survey of Wittwer's oeuvre. Exhibition schedule: CCA & A Gallery, Hamburg, April 10-May 9, 2012 | Contemporary Urban Centre, Liverpool, May 18-June 23, 2012 | Somerset House, London, July 4-August 27, 2012 | Haunch of Venison, London May-June, 2012 | SMAC Art Gallery, Cape Town, Fall, 2012

Text by: Brian Dillon, Jurg Judin