The Projective Eye Gallery, located in UNC Charlotte Center City, will present the exhibit “Andreas Bechtler, the Artist.” The display opens Saturday, Nov. 17, with a special reception and performance from 6 to 8 p.m.
A well-known cultural force both locally and internationally, Bechtler is the patron behind the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, home to his family’s collection of more than 1,400 artworks created by major figures of 20th-century modernism. “Andreas Bechtler, the Artist” is an exhibition of his landscapes, figurine works and self-portraits created during the past 10 years.
Bechtler has worked prolifically since a teenager in Switzerland, where he had his first solo exhibition at 16. Originally an abstract painter, he took to the language of texture, color and form and this continued in his photographic works, which make no apology for their digital manipulation. He moves the camera with an open shutter to create smears of vibrant color that leap across the picture plane. Tiny figurines are placed in eroticized “found” environments. His self-portraits are inquisitive, a fusion of the self with the setting, rather than overt self-declarations.
The Nov. 17 opening of “Andreas Bechtler, the Artist” will include the first concert in the 2012-13 Fresh Ink music series, which focuses on the music of living composers who draw from contemporary ideas and an eclectic sound world to create works that forecast an exciting new direction for concert music.
Percussionist Scott Christian will perform with guest cellist Tanja Bechtler, daughter of Andreas and founder of the Bechtler Ensemble. The program includes “Mariel” for cello and marimba by Osvaldo Golijov, “Fertility Rites” for marimba and CD by Christos Hatzis and “Three Candles,” a new composition for cello and marimba by UNC Charlotte associate professor John Allemeier. This free performance begins at 7 p.m.