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Does that mean you’ve been self-employed for 18 years? Kudos!

Thanks! I certainly owe this consistency to the fact that I became a father at a young age and therefore needed a certain amount of stability. I couldn’t afford to party until the early hours of the morning. On the contrary, I went to bed early, woke up early and devoted my time to work and family.

What is your trademark, graphically speaking? How would you describe your approach?

My speciality is that I do everything. I design for bike shops, carpenters, the Traube. I love having the opportunity to understand different people and immerse myself in different business models. This is still true. You also mentioned my approach. I like to slim down my work, ask myself what is needed and try to leave out what doesn’t fit and isn’t absolutely necessary. Keeping things neat is my thing. It’s occurring to me now: my job is basically tidying up (laughs). But playfulness is also an important part of me. I like to go with the flow and play with the elements. This is less about conscious thinking and more about creating. In the best-case scenario, I forget that I’m working and get into a state where everything just flows. I dive in, and when I resurface, something has appeared.

«I dive in, and when I resurface, something has appeared.»

You have to not only master your craft, but also develop a good feel for people.

Intuition is certainly important. Even more important is a genuine interest in people and their concerns. I ask myself: What kind of person is this? What are they about? Where are they now? Where do they want to go? What are they dreaming about?

And when is the moment that you say: «It’s good now, this works?»

When I can feel a clear approach in my work, the client usually feels it too. That’s when things work. I can’t sell something that I don’t really feel. A lot of it has to do with the rules that I set up and consistently apply. At Gasthaus Traube, for example, the printed form of the letters, words and sentences came from the shape of a grape. This design element runs through all elements – whether it’s the menu, the sign on the washroom door or an Instagram post.

Have you ever considered another career?

Back then, I considered various careers, tried out the commercial field, and I was interested in landscape gardening and carpentry. In essence, however, I always wanted to be an artist – a painter. Back then, I painted big, colourful graffiti pieces. Immersing myself in drawing and painting has always been a part of me, but typography also fascinated me early on. Letters can be funny, stiff or proud – I found that exciting. I was drawn to graphic design from an early age.

Yet you are establishing yourself more and more as an artist.

Since I became a father at an early age, my first priority was to earn money. The older my son got, the more time and space opened up to do more than just what was absolutely necessary. This is how my first pictures with aerial views came about. I was able to combine my hobby – paragliding – with art. In other words, I took photographs while flying, then deliberately selected parts of these images and recreated them as paintings in my studio. The fact that my son is now grown up allows me to take the step of becoming an artist.

 

Your motifs have developed further, from cloud to forest imagery.

I severely restricted my flying during the coronavirus pandemic. I didn’t want to take any unnecessary risks. So I started looking at the «backyard views» here from the studio. This was a key step for me. I have been successful with my cloud paintings, but I never wanted to only focus on things that I knew worked. I want to develop and grow. At the moment, it’s these rather dark forest pictures that interest me. The undergrowth.

The undergrowth?

When I look out of the window into the forest, I see nothing but disorder and chaos. Branches grow wildly together – it’s one big ghetto. This complexity fascinates me. It reminds me of the state of the world.

What do your paintings evoke in the viewer?

I think the best thing is when someone can’t formulate exactly what fascinates them. I love it when my pictures work visually. It results in a range of impressions, where many people see something bright and light in the pictures, while others see them as dark and depressive. I find that very exciting.

To conclude, what’s next for you and your work? Are there any other projects we can look forward to?

Absolutely! I don’t know if I’m allowed to reveal it yet, but we’re currently working hard on an analogous Traube magazine which tells stories about the Traube, and the first edition is scheduled for autumn. In addition, the hotel is coming in spring 2023 – there, my focus is on all the signage. Fortunately, the Traube will be at my side for a while. It’s very cool to be able to design everything for a client. Things are also moving forward in terms of art and I’m already looking forward to the exhibition at the Werdenberger Kleintheater fabriggli theatre this September.

Thank you Adrian for this fascinating conversation.

Interview: Doris Büchel
Photos: Roland Lichtensteiger

Tabula Rasa

What’s the first thing you do in the morning? Sort through last night’s dreams. What project would you love to carry out? An exhibition at the Tate Modern in London. What’s the best thing about your job? Using my creativity to help people turn their dreams into a reality. Head in the clouds or feet on the ground? First one, then the other. Analogue or digital? Analogue.

 

Which art exhibition is a must-see at the moment? The Georgia O’Keeffe retrospective at the Fondation Beyeler. Why? Because she painted incredibly beautiful colour nuances. Which book should everyone read today? When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamin Labatut. Who would you like to share a meal with at the Traube? Sophia Loren, Spinoza, Francis Bacon and Shinichi Mochizuki. What would you ask? Sophia, can I kiss you?