MARIUS LÜSCHER | THE WORLD ACCORDING TO FREDDY PEREZ
Livie Gallery is pleased to present the second solo exhibition by Marius Lüscher at the gallery. Titled The World According to Freddy Perez this show features new paintings, and for the first time sculptural and photographic works. During an extended stay in Los Angeles from 2014 to 2017, Marius Lüscher came across unexpected urban situations that inspired his thoughts on abstraction and which he consequently captured in photographs. He published these photographs under the pseudonym Freddy Perez. Freddy Perez is also reflected in the title of this exhibition, in which he presents photographs taken during his time in L.A. as well as during his stay in New York as part of a Pollock-Krasner scholarship, in Palm Springs, Paris, Monte Carlo and La Chaux de Fonds.
An A to Z by Marius Lüscher for Freddy Perez
A
ML: Abstraction
FP: Art is always abstract. I am interested in abstracting abstraction.
B
Beauty
The most important thing in art and life is beauty.
C
Color
I discovered the power of color while walking around in Los Angeles.
D
Dodgers
What else!
E
Equality
Equality of shapes. In my photographs I try to make everything equal: the sky, the street, the cars. Everything has the same value.
F
Freeway
Catch Sunrise and the freeway glows.
G
Luigi Ghirri
When images are quiet.
H
Hedonism
Carpe diem!
I
Inspiration
Big cities and music inspire me the most.
K
Kamasi Washington
The best. I remember the first concert I attended at the Blue Whale in LA’s Little Tokyo. Inspired by his music, I walked home to Boyle Heights in the middle of the night.
L
Light
There is a lot of light in LA which is very important for my photography.
M
Martini
My favorite drink at the Short Stop on Sunset Boulevard.
N
Narrative
I am not interested in storytelling.
O
Oscar de la Hoya
The Golden Boy. My favorite boxer. He started his career in Boyle Heights, my neighborhood in LA.
P
Painter
Henry Taylor, Joanne Greenbaum, Henri Matisse.
Q
Quintet
The Second Quintet. Miles Davis best band with Wayne Shorter on Saxophone.
R
RnB
The perfect soundtrack for a day at the studio.
S
Shape
Shape is not form. You must know the difference.
T
Tacos / Tennis / Tyler the Creator
Three Ts I wouldn’t want to miss in life.
U
Under the Sun
Life in LA and the perfect title for my book published in 2019.
V
Point of View
Don’t be afraid to go close to the subject.
W
Washington Boulevard
My favorite boulevard in Los Angeles, starting at the Pacific Ocean in Venice leading to downtown. 44 km long. Walk it and you will understand LA better!
X
Charli XCX
Who doesn’t want to be brat!?
Y
Yacht Rock
Steely Dan is always a good choice when driving through the city.
Z
Zen
Zen is my future.
Marius Lüscher (*1974, lives in Bern, Switzerland) works in the media of photography, painting and printmaking. An extended stay in Los Angeles from 2014 and 2017 and a residency in Brooklyn, New York in the summer/fall of 2022, made possible by the Pollock-Krasner Grant, have left a lasting mark on Lüscher’s work.
His most recent shows include Hot Space at Haus der Kunst St. Josef, Solothurn (2024), Ein Unikat in Serie at Kunsthaus Grenchen (2023), Under the Sun at Musée LaM, Lille (2022) and New Shapes at Livie Gallery, Zürich (2022). Marius Lüscher’s works have also been shown at Kunsthalle Bern, Centre Pasquart Biel, Kunsthaus Langenthal, as well as the Kunsthaus Aarau.
Installation views: Esther Mathis