Luise Lutz & Michel Strümpf

Auf Wiedersehen Sprache

The fundamental unit of a writing system is the character. Historically rooted in letterpress printing, each character sits within a fixed typographic area known as an em square (German: Geviert). This grid forms the spatial foundation of every letter, word, and sentence. When a horizontal line half the width of the em square is placed centrally within it, it becomes the em dash (German: Halbgeviertstrich)—a punctuation mark traditionally used to indicate a pause, an interruption, or the insertion of an appended thought. 

In the exhibition Auf Wiedersehen Sprache at Lombardi-Kargl artists Luise Lutz and Michel Strümpf enclose the titles of their works between em dashes. By doing so, they activate the punctuation mark’s ability to momentarily suspend the flow of text and introduce a new thought. Both artists employ this editorial technique not only on paper but also within the physical exhibition space. Their spatial translation of language mirrors the concept of canning fruit: thoughts initially fluid and fleeting in language, are formulated and then physically processed in space— much like fresh pears being cooked down and condensed into a lasting compote. The sensory aroma of the simmering fruit evokes a powerful sense of impermanence, yet at the same time, this fragrance fills and connects the surrounding rooms and artworks.

What would have been, what will be, what might have been—these are questions Luise Lutz and Michel Strümpf repeatedly pose. Within the exhibition space, time becomes perceptible as an in-between moment, as fleeting as a thought. 

The gestures and objects on display are subject to ongoing transformation or allude to processes of emergence. They unfold a distinct temporality where traces of a past and potential future converge, framing the present as a continuous moment of becoming and change.

Romana Bund & Moritz Pisk