David Renggli: Work, Life, Balance: Exhibition Catalogue Villa Merkel Esslingen

The present monograph Work, Life, Balance focuses on artistic works by David Renggli from 2006 until today, with no claim to the completeness of a list of works, but most certainly with respect for the striking heterogeneity inherent to the oeuvre of the Swiss artist and musician. It offers a broad overview of the oeuvre and provides informative impres sions of the slyly dandy-like self-stagings of the artist. Should his works be understood merely as odes to hedonism? Not at all! David Renggli revives highly diverse cliches of adamant desire and idyllic imaginings, only to confront them in a subtle, sensitive manner with their own deconstructions. With a vigorous wink of the eyes, he adopts an ironical perspective with regard to ideals of beauty and the cult of physical allure, not hesitating to critique the urge to self-optimisation and the egocentricity of self-infatuation. As a Neo-Dadaist, David Renggli remains unswervingly devoted to the free play of art and also of music: My favourite instrument? Snare drum.