Jean-Remy von Matt: The time we have left

The other day, Jean-Remy von Matt, Germany's best-known "retired advertiser," attended an event in Berlin. At a bar table, he met three people who had observed his first steps in the world of the performing arts - among them "painter prince" Markus Lüpertz. While the "non-artists" at the table were full of praise for von Matt's works, Lüpertz made a remark that, in context, could rather be understood as an "anti-compliment" - he explicitly referred to the ex-advertiser's Sixt campaigns and expressed his respect for them; however, he did not mention his art with a single word. "I would have quite liked to have received praise from Lüpertz, I must say," von Matt recalls. And then adds with a grin: "But I'm still new to the profession."

The anecdote shows how much has changed for the iconic agency founder: He is no longer involved in the day-to-day business of his company, and only rarely climbs into the saddle for esteemed traditional clients such as Ricola. And never for longer periods. "I've been producing ideas as a service provider for almost five decades," he says, "and now I'd finally like to be creative in my own right. So he allows himself the luxury of doing what he really wants to do.

"Advertising is not designed to last. (Also) therefore now: art."

While he himself is gaining years (he will be 71 in November, even though visually he would be considered in his late 50s at most), Jean-Remy von Matt has begun to build an artistic oeuvre around the themes of time and transience that will one day become part of his creative legacy. He believes that some of his major campaigns will continue to shape the industry's discourse in the distant future, but advertising is not designed to last; today even less so than in the past. (Also) therefore now: art.

Two watches, many messages

Von Matt began with a quasi archetypal Swiss activity: watchmaking. But he has turned the principles of watchmaking on their head, because his timepieces do not mark the present or indicate past moments. No, he is concerned with the future - his watches tell you how much life you can expect to live.

"My works are not dedicated to death, but an ode to lifetime."

On the one hand, there is the digital "Carpe Vitam Clock," which shows on a small display the average remaining years of the owner's life - broken down to seconds; and on the other hand, there is the half-analog, half-virtual "Hourglass of Life," whose falling grains release basic concepts of being human. Both clocks are a permanent reference to the phrase "memento mori," which was already used in ancient Rome to remind victorious commanders of their mortality - and which then continued as a game with vanitas motifs throughout (art) history until today.

So has a morbid fascination with death infected the artist Jean-Remy von Matt? Not at all, he says: "We value life far too little, we go through our daily lives as if we had an unlimited number of moments at our disposal," he explains, "when in fact the exact opposite is the case." Buyer:inside his Carpe Vitam digital watch, he includes a copy of Seneca's treatise on the brevity of life, an impassioned plea to make the most of one's time and avoid unworthy time-wasters. "My works are precisely not dedicated to death," von Matt emphasizes, "but an ode to lifetime." And if someone is in the world longer than the average value on the life timer predicts? Then the clock begins to congratulate the person at regular intervals.

From being a child to independence

Similarly, while the hourglass reveals the inescapable fact that everyone's time is running out - and that things are lost in the process of aging - it also reveals new insights to the viewer. Childlike naïve joy may be increasingly buried under the sands of time, but this process creates space - in the artwork, but also metaphorically - for ever greater independence. Nonchalance gives way to self-confidence, enthusiasm becomes serenity, and when finally the last grain comes to rest over the concept of time itself, opposite stands: hope, completely free and uncovered. In defiance of all certainties, all inevitability.

As I said, this is life art, not death art, also because von Matt mentions in an aside that for every work sold he donates 1,000 euros to the country with the lowest life expectancy in the world. More than 50,000 euros have already flowed to Chad, to a hospital that primarily treats sick children. A wonderful dialectic: a theoretical reflection on the brevity of life in a German living room or a Swiss gallery practically prolongs a life on the other side of the planet.

Gallery, Company, Revolution

In general, the keyword is gallery: just as Markus Lüpertz could not bring himself to compliment von Matt's works, established galleries were also rather hesitant to include the ex-advertiser in their portfolios. "As a collector, I would be very welcome with them," he notes smugly, "but as an artist? That's where the circle suddenly narrows drastically."

The dynamic changed with Sarah Schlagenhauf, the driving force behind Zurich-based startup Vivents. Schlagenhauf and her team break barriers, working at the intersection of art, luxury and technology. As a result, the venture has established itself as a pioneer of immersive Web3-centric brand experiences powered by blockchain technology. With a focus on luxury and art in e-commerce, it leverages cutting-edge technologies to create transformative experiences.

Existential questions

Schlagenhauf, who as a young person ("She still has well over a billion seconds on her watch!" as Jean-Remy von Matt charmingly puts it) might well have a different relationship to time than her counterpart, when asked, reports an immediate fascination that von Matt's works have triggered in her. "I actually think a lot about how to make the most of the moments that are given to me," she explains. Just recently, she says, she discussed with friend:ing whether she would buy - in the style of the artist's works - a further development of the digital watch, a time-measuring device that not only juggles statistics but also knows her individual date of death through a kind of magical intuition. She leaves the answer open. The special thing about the Carpe Vitam movements is that they function as a constant reminder without symbolizing absolute determinism. Schlagenhauf and von Matt in unison: "One can - one may - one should 'overcome' the clocks." Those who eat healthily, exercise or stop smoking may not get a bonus on the display, but (much better!) the chance to get one in reality.

Quo vadis?

Speaking of bonuses: What will happen after the launch of the Hourglass of Life on October 11, 2023? What topics does von Matt want to address next - at best in cooperation with Sarah Schlagenhauf and her team? "I'm mainly interested in the very big, the eternally effective themes," says the artist, "and not what the zeitgeist offers." He finds the exploration of maximum opposites exciting, says von Matt, of light and darkness, truth and lies, dialogue and silence. So there's plenty to do. "Unfortunately, I have less time for my second career than others who have always made art," Jean-Remy von Matt concludes, "but if I use the time properly, it can still become something."