Bethan Huws, Wars Societies and Neon, 2021, Neon tubes, plexiglass, metal, transformer.

In the context of the exhibition «Notes on Abstraction» a new podcast with the Welsh artist Bethan Huws is released. In her conversation with David Khalat, Bethan Huws talks about her artistic practice as well as the installation «Wars Societies and Neon», which was recently shown at the Grossmünster in Zurich.

Bethan Huws has a good understanding of language and its universal properties through her knowledge of linguistics. She consciously distinguishes between verbal and non-verbal language. In her text-based works, the simplicity of a few words is often a minimalist approach. In contrast to the imperative invocations prevalent in contemporary text-based works, Huws rather prefers ambiguous and broader statements that often include questions.

Bethan Huws, Untitled, 2015-2016, word vitrine, 100 × 75 × 4.5 cm. Courtesy: Vistamare Pescara / Milano.

Bethan Huws highlights the tension between her artistic intent and the reception of her work. While she works in a very intuitive manner, numerous references can be identified in her work. Her engagement with the work of Marcel Duchamp plays an important role in this regard. In addition to the conceptual foundation, humor is of enormous importance to the artist. 

View of the exhibition "Wars Societies and Neon" in the crypt of the Grossmünster in Zurich. Courtesy: Tschudi Gallery, Zuoz.