Eric Hattan – Five O’Clock Shadow

Eric Hattan (*1955 in Wettingen, lives in Basel and Paris, France) is one of the most inventive conceptual artists in Switzerland. His artistic language is chameleon-like in various media and has been attracting international attention for many years. The title of the solo exhibition alludes to British tea culture and thus to the origins of Sidney Brown, who lived in Langmatt with his wife Jenny and his three sons.

In the historic rooms of the villa, Eric Hattan surprises with contrasting dialogues between the present and the Belle Époque. In the atmospheric library with its mahogany parquet flooring, carpet and subdued lighting, stele-like Maxe with their ascetic building site charm form an allusive counterpoint. In the former private rooms on the upper floor, various objects of remarkable sparseness enter into mysterious conversations with the pictures in the collection. Other settings also put the Langmatt's apparent untouchability into perspective, not entirely without humour, visibly enlivening the «Grand Old Lady».

The exhibition is accompanied by a publication with exhibition views and a text by Markus Stegmann (German/English), Verlag Hatje Cantz, Berlin.

Main picture: Exhibition view Eric Hattan – Five O'Clock Shadow, 2023, Museums Langmatt, Baden