He paints plants, people and animals with brilliant oil paints on home-made canvases The faces of the bald-headed people seem bloodless, their bodies’ skin colour is pale. All the more striking are the colours of their surroundings, representing heavenly or apocalyptic landscapes. “Today we have to compete with the strong colours on mobile phones and computers, which come at us like a bolt of lightning”, explains Andriu Deplazes. The Young Swiss artist has won the Helvetia Art Prize for 2017.
Far from his home and what is familiar to him, he finds peace in his studio in Brussels and can concentrate on his work. His pictures are based on sketches that he makes on his forays through the city. “I draw everything that I come across.” The Helvetia Art Prize is comprised of a sum of money and the opportunity of a solo exhibition at the LISTE Art Fair in Basel, where Andriu Deplazes can present himself and his impressive works to the broad, international art audience.