Romulus

Peter Wächtler creates artworks infused with elements of fiction and folklore, reusing and adapting shared narratives and the structures of traditional tales. Working across a wide range of hand-crafted media—including sculpture, painting, animation, and writing—his practice centers on introspection, its responsibilities, and its social consequences. Often marked by pathos and irony, yet also tinged with humor and melancholy, his work resists a clear reading of autobiography. What can be observed, however, is how it sparks reflection on human subjectivity in all its complications, poised in a delicate balance between power and futility.

For his exhibition Romulus at M HKA, Wächtler produced a new series of clay sculptures depicting terracotta castles. These modest structures act as measuring devices within the gallery, somewhere between model and sculpture. They also take advantage of the expansive exhibition space, their contours recognizable from a distance—whether recalling the vistas of a Romantic painting or the shifting landscapes glimpsed from the window of a moving car on the highway. While their function as fortifications evokes a sense of defense, the emptiness of their inner courtyards prompts questions about what, in fact, these walls are meant to protect.