Donato AmstutzSemper Eadem (SIGNED)

Donato Amstutz does not work with brush and paint; he works with needle and thread. So what does he do? It is an understatement to say that he engages in the ‘monotonous’ process of piercing matter (the canvas) with a needle. He himself calls the activity mundane. To him, embroidery is a means to an end and a temporal factor. Time, in turn, has a twofold significance. It is of significance in the speedy acquisition of material and source images, and it moves apace while taking pictures and making photocopies. It slows down somewhat in the choice and enlargement of motif and even more in embroidering it. The selection focuses on effect and manipulation, but that does not mean straightforward realisation. The works are distinguished by the fact that the artist succumbs to the ‘seduction’ of slow, prolonged implementation.

Donato Amstutz started by embroidering images, moved on to combining them with text, then worked with text alone and ended up with full-fledged abstraction, as seen in his latest work. Whatever the case, simple means and unpretentious, but exceptional skill in wielding the technique of embroidery consistently yield fascinating visual results.