How Ideas Form
To paraphrase something Michelangelo reportedly stated: forms are embedded inside matter – one only has to bring them to the surface. Robertson Käppeli, founder of the ricketyroom, had the idea for this art movement floating around his subconscious for years. It took a journey into a strange land, a transformation of ideas and fermentation, in order to bring it to light. This is an origin story in fast motion.
Robertson Käppeli was raised in a family of artists. His father Robert, and grandfather Dr. Robert, also represented in the ricketyroom, know their legacy preserved, artistically as well as nominally. His misadventures lead him to Serbia, where he collaborated with the regional art scene in Belgrad, and became an inherent part of the Dev9t art network. But as much as he cherished the local atmosphere, cuisine and ladies, the whole endeavor would never really take off in the ways he imagined. After a series of blowbacks and during a certain more global event, he saw himself forced to return to his home town Davos, Switzerland, somewhat in resignation because he initially thought he'd left for good. A period of emptiness brought him to the brink of the abyss, resulting in some of his best work, but also bringing him to a point, where he had to do what he loved, which according to his favorite quote from Oscar Wilde, was the worst fate, one can endure. Enough of the quotations as we have plenty of original thoughts to share with the world. Sometimes, all it takes is another perspective to prove an unfortunate event to be a cast of fortune.
Stranger at the crossroads.
For behold, the apocalypse takes many formes in the eyes of imagination.
In a turn of events, he met Alexander Gordon, who, at a second look, would turn out to not be a stranger at all since their relationship went back to their childhood. Within a couple of months of creative exchange, the idea of the Apocalyptic art movement was established, and the ricketyroom was reborn as it is today. Joined by greats such Sonja Knapp, Peter Knapp, Bruno Suter and Edward Paca, and promising newcomers, many more to be included in the future, our project has now reached dimensions unlike anything we could've ever expected. At the bottom of his heart, Robertson knew, his project would be remarkable, the the pursuit of his ideas were worth the struggle – never that would amount to an epiphany – the call to a mission, on which we would embark collectively to transform the way, we look at art.