Thomas Locher

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In his work, Thomas Locher frequently draws on systems of signs and communication to highlight the relationship between social conditions and individual agency. In his text-image constructions, he illustrates the mechanisms and laws governing language—the primary medium of human communication—and examines the structures of power, authority, and hierarchy embedded within it. At the same time, his works make it clear how deeply our understanding of the world and our thinking are shaped by concepts, since the perception of images and reality is always mediated through language.
For the KUBUS, Locher has created a new text-based work in which he explores the unique nature of the space as a kind of proscenium stage. On the right and left, two sequences of text, each consisting of sixteen lines, begin. The sentences and words, which vary in size and color, extend all the way to the central wall, yet leave its center empty. In terms of content, they appear to be pairs of opposites, and indeed, Locher alludes to the dialectic of master and servant developed by the philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel in the early 19th century. Starting from simple assertions, however, the chain of reasoning established by Locher quickly becomes entangled in a web of contradictions and gaps: “They are equations and inequalities that actually look like math problems—except that the calculations don’t add up,” says the artist. A model that at first glance appears self-contained and logical reveals itself to be an arbitrary construction.