Not Vital (*1948) is an internationally successful artist from the Lower Engadine. Despite the narrowness of the valley he grew up in, his earliest works already display the symbolism of overcoming borders. Very early on he set out to recharge the pictorial world, which had shaped him since his childhood and youth, in other regions and in contact with other cultures. His universal mind-set combined with the unshakeable self-will of the artist is characteristic of his creative work. Not Vital works on all continents on earth and in nearly all media: sculpture, drawing, painting, printing, architecture, all of which complement each other in his many-faceted work.

The exhibition at the Bündner Kunstmuseum Chur is the first overview of his work in a Swiss museum, and brings together works from 1964 up until today. It shows how Not Vital absorbs, in an infallibly stylistic way, archetypal set pieces in their regional imprint from all corners of the world and transfers them into an individual mythology. The lavishly arranged exhibition is spread throughout the premises of the extension as well as the Villa Planta.

The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue published by Scheidegger & Spiess with contributions by Stephan Kunz, Lynn Kost, Giorgia von Albertini and Alma Zevi.