“My work is built around the tension between control and unpredictability in both process and materials. Through repeated abstract forms and layered surfaces, I’m interested in how viewers project meaning, patterns, and narratives onto ambiguous images. Painting becomes a way of testing systems, accidents, and the traces left behind by time and human activity.”

Phil Lofthouse (b. 1976, Keighley, England) is a British-Swiss artist based in Ilanz, Graubünden. He studied Fine Art Painting in England before moving to Switzerland in 2002. After many years working in education, he
returned to full-time artistic practice in 2021.
Lofthouse’s work investigates the traces left by time, repair and human intervention within the built environment. Rather than depicting architecture directly, he develops abstract systems derived from overlooked details like
window bars, construction marks, removed fixtures, textiles and industrial materials. These observations are translated into restrained visual languages of repeated forms, interrupted grids and layered surfaces.
Working primarily with oil and acrylic paint, spray paint and textiles, his practice balances precision with chance. Carefully measured structures are disrupted by irregularities generated through masking, printing or the physical behaviour of materials, creating a dialogue between order and imperfection. His recent work explores how systems inevitably fail, shift and adapt, suggesting that vulnerability and deviation are essential parts of both architecture and human experience.
Lofthouse has exhibited throughout Switzerland, is a member of Visarte and is represented by Kunstfokus, Zürich. His work has been featured in La Quotidiana and on RTR. He lives and works in Ilanz, Graubünden.


                                                               Exhibitions / CV