With his young hero Titeuf, whom he sends, album after album, through a jungle of epic schoolyard fights, pointless maths tests, parental reprimands and early experiences with girls, Zep (alias Philippe Chappuis, b. 1967) has drawn himself a path that has led him to become Switzerland’s most successful comics author worldwide. Titeuf reflects the everyday life of children and youths, their antics, questions, insecurities and experiences. The adult perspective also plays a role and makes the stories thought-provoking and critical reading for people of all ages. Alongside a lot of hilarious slapstick and shenanigans, Zep quite naturally finds the right tone for social debate about role sharing, illness, addiction, destruction of the environment and injustice. Thousands and thousands of children, youths and those who have grown up with Titeuf all around the world read the adventures of this cheeky ten-year-old, which have been translated into over 25 languages and have so far appeared in 14 albums in German. In addition to Titeuf, Zep also produces an illustrated blog about politics and society, and publishes collections of cartoons or sketchbooks with standalone watercolours and texts, in which he shows himself to be a subtle, critical and poetic observer. This exhibition shows the development of Titeuf and other, less familiar facets of this artist from the French part of Switzerland: early works, realistic stories, books for adults, portraits of musicians, illustrations and posters.
Curator: Anette Gehrig