Heidi Bucher

The Swiss avant-garde artist Heidi Bucher was primarily known for her iconic "mouldings", which delved into architecture and the human form through sculptural work. Her transformative creations focus on subjects such as private spaces and personal belongings, architectural elements from the 19th century, feminism, domesticity, and individual or collective memory. She married Carl Bucher in 1960 and pursued their shared vision of an "artist's family" until they separated in the 1970s'. Bucher and her husband formed a close friendship with Pop Art artist Ed Kienholz in Los Angeles. This friendship inspired Bucher to use mother-of-pearl pigment in her large-scale monochrome paintings with the spray technique. After returning to Switzerland in the early 1970s, she began her most notable works, casting objects and architectural elements in latex. Bucher's works are commended for their meticulous attention to form and the dissection of objects, focusing on pre-existing shapes found in structures like floors and staircases. Through a process she referred to as “skinning”, the artist used textiles and latex to peel away the "skin" of these architectural bodies and capture their essence without replicating their physical form. At first glance, Bucher's work may seem like a dark representation of the world around us. Still, she views her images as dynamic and in motion, with latex as a crucial expression of her commitment to curiosity. ...

The Approach is co-directed by Jake Miller and Emma Robertson. Located in Bethnal Green above The Approach Tavern, for over twenty years it has operated an internationally recognised programme from its East London base. The gallery is known for discovering artists and establishing their careers as well as making inter-generational curated group shows a strong focus. The list of represented artists includes the Estates of important overlooked female artists Heidi Bucher and Maria Pinińska Bereś, as well as seminal British collage artist John Stezaker, together with established and emerging artists including Magali Reus, Peter Davies, Lisa Oppenheim, Sandra Mujinga, Pam Evelyn, Sara Cwynar, Sam Windett and Caitlin Keogh. Over the years the gallery has operated parallel programmes in additional gallery spaces in London’s West End (The Approach W1) and in Shoreditch (The Reliance). The gallery is currently based solely in its original East End location and continues to expand its programme, showcasing its represented artists in the main gallery space, and both represented and non-represented artists in The Annexe, a smaller, more experimental space at the back of the building. ...