18 x 24

RICHARD TUTTLE

GALERIE GRETA MEERT, RUE DU CANAL 13
BRUSSELS, SEPTEMBER 7 - OCTOBER 21, 2023

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On the wall of the vestibule 
Richard Tuttle has written his name 
and the title of the exhibition 
in pencil 







A grid drawn, not erased
so that the letters are straight
centered and of equal size

RICHARD is firmly placed on TUTTLE 
(to stay as close as possible to his first name?) 

Not a single line but a multitude of light lines 
which give a vegetal consistency to the letters 
decorated with small brushstrokes, like petals

22 works in styrofoam are hung 
at regular intervals along the walls
They are all titled 18 x 24 (III) 
and numbered from 1 to 22

18 x 24 refers to the proportions of the paper 
on which Tuttle draws and writes
and which are at the back of the works 
that the gallery calls sculptures

The works are grouped
according to the distribution of walls
a quintet, four trios, two duos and a solo

Some groupings follow a logic
like the three monochrome shapes 
near the entrance 
or shapes that seem to face each other
but, in the end, each of the works 
stands on its own

The styrofoam is cut in different ways
edge, incision, collage effect, juxtaposition

The works are of similar sizes 
and form an harmonious ensemble

Cutting styrofoam 
raises questions about the line
the line is clear but the result is uncertain

The plastic bubbles fray 
and recall the atomic structure of all things
The perfect trait is an illusion

The paintings, where the white dominates
are abstract and colourful 
with the notable exception 
of a brown horizontal rope with a hangman's knot

The knot is interrupted in the middle by a line
drawn with a cutter
as if to simultaneously evoke and cancel 
the idea of death







Tuttle uses paint in small quantity
alternating painted and unpainted spaces
Life and emptiness coexist
Absorbed by the styrofoam 
the aqueous acrylic mattifies
becomes watercolored and flows into the cells

The bubble structure allows the painting 
to breathe more effectively 
than the wood supports used by the artist 
in a previous exhibition

The coloured surfaces come off the wall
Not in the form of sculptures
but rather painting 
freed from the heaviness of a support
The styrofoam unexpectedly 
performs this miracle



Roshan Di Puppo

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