Christoph Radl. FAT BOY

From January 28 to February 28, 2025, Fat Boy, an exhibition by Christoph Radl, presents 60 watercolors inspired by the ceramic figures of the Mimbres, a millennia-old pre-Columbian culture. Fat Boy is a journey through art history, featuring a pasty character who “stages” works by artists from Raphael to Cattelan.

Radl’s research for a ceramics collection led him to the Mimbres, a New Mexico civilization that disappeared between 1130 and 1150 AD. They produced artifacts—cups, plates, bowls—decorated with geometric patterns, animals, and rituals. Among these, a humanoid figure with wide-open, frightened yet curious eyes captivated Radl.

Renamed Fat Boy, the figure embarks on an art-historical journey, initially awkward but growing confident. He meets Mantegna, Kounellis, Raphael, Picasso, Matisse, Baselitz, and Cattelan, surrounded by bright colors, symbols, and a latent eroticism. “When he meets Baselitz, he does a handstand; with Mantegna, he lies on a table for the right perspective.”