Confined to his studio when the lockdown hit Switzerland in Spring 2020, Dorian Büchi found himself looking for inspiration within his immediate surroundings – an abnormality for the Swiss artist who normally spends large amounts of time in his country’s famous mountains. He had been intrigued by a prickly pear plant that he brought back from a recent trip to Italy, and which was thriving in the very different climatic conditions in his Swiss studio. He was initially drawn to the plant as a symbol for the resilience of nature in different climates, but it had also become his last connection to nature now that he was unable to leave his studio and apartment.
The series of paintings that emerged are very much of our time. The cacti, themselves a symbol for an eco-conscious generation that likes to surround itself with plants, have been portrayed (quite literally in portrait formats) as heroic figures, often from quite dramatic angles and with dynamic compositions. Set against a blurry, airbrushed background, the prickly pears are the protagonists of our recent history, symbolising not just the resilience of nature in the face of climate change, but also of humanity in lockdown.
Image: Resilience #5, 2021, oil and acrylic on canvas, 40.5 by 30.5 cm.
