Vivian Suter. Bonzo, Tintin & Nina
The exhibition catalogue from the Kunstmuseum Luzern transposes the artistic method of Vivian Suter into a highly individual book by means of some unconventional design choices. A folded softcover, thin paper and a Japanese binding render the object soft and pliable, in a nod to the canvases that Suter hangs freely in space. The layouts often change from page to page, with variable indents for individual blocks of text, mirroring Suter’s often random compositions of abstract forms. The suspended canvases are presented as silhouetted illustrations in the book, in most cases singly on a page; consequently, there are no exact rectangles but rather a succession of slightly varying formats. Suter’s works on paper are also presented in isolation, often at a very slight angle as if laid on the page by hand. The overall effect is very dynamic and free, and one is constantly aware that the chosen arrangement and presentation could just as well have been different. Rather than constraining the artistic oeuvre within a design system, the volume challenges established hierarchies of book design but without making a programmatic statement, as the interventions always take place directly in practice.
