Pia Fries and Hans Brändli

To accompany the eponymous exhibition at Haus Beda, Bitburg, the catalog Soloduo brings together the works of Swiss artists Pia Fries (b. 1955) and Hans Brändli (b.1955). Both completed their studies at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, Fries as a Master’s student under Gerhard Richter, and Brändli under Klaus Rinke. Pia Fries’s paintings are characterized by an intense exploration of color: vivid and impasto, or transparent and glazed. For years, Fries has complemented her paintings by integrating fragments of screen printing, at times echoing historical copperplate engravings. In various sizes and with countless nuances, these fragments merge together with bold color application and expansive areas of white to create striking visual compositions. The sculptures of Hans Brändli are distinctive in their material complexity and craftsmanship. He uses nickel-silver, iron, jute, brass, and wood to create fascinating sculptures, objects, and images that often reveal references to the Concrete Art movement.