See his Solo Show at The Gibbes Museum of Art This Month
Since moving to Charleston, Karl Zurflüh has developed his career as an artist, including his Positive Evolutions 001 triptych (charcoal, acrylic, latex, and aerosol on canvas, 72 x 120 inches, 2024)
When Karl Zurflüh was 11 months old, his father, a Navy pilot, was killed in action. The family’s silence following the profound loss created patterns that would follow the Washington state native into adulthood, shaping how he moved through the world until he began to question whether those inherited behaviors truly served him.
Zurflüh majored in illustration at Ringling College of Art and Design in Florida, later earning a master’s in computer animation at the School of Visual Arts in New York. Now, he works full-time for a video game advertising agency based in California, whose clients include Activision (as in Call of Duty).
Since moving to Charleston to be closer to his wife’s family in 2014, Zurflüh has had more time to develop his career as an independent artist. After a residency at the Gibbes Museum of Art last fall, his “Light Pilots” series is on display at the museum from November 19 to January 7.
In his works, Zurflüh transforms personal reckoning into universal exploration, stripping away the individual to reveal something more elemental—empty pilot gear that speaks not to one man’s story, but to a shared human experience of navigation, loss, and the choice to heal. Here, he shares how art has helped his healing process.
On Feeling Loss: It leaves a big hole. I was always questioning who [my father] was. I had no place to research or find that information. I was raised by my mom and my dad’s sister, both strong, independent women. But it was hard figuring out who I was as a person and what it means to be a man. A father is a big figure to be removed, and it’s a big emotional blueprint to not talk about how I feel. I could express anger, or I could be stoic. I carried that for a long time until I realized it didn’t work. I wasn’t allowed to express my feelings, but I could through art. There are times when I feel a connection to my father, especially when I’m painting.
The Grief Journey: When I first started, I wouldn’t have been able to even get this far in a conversation about it. I would have been frozen. My ability to share and talk about it has surprised me. I’m an introvert, so to get so personal with strangers doesn’t come easy. I’m amazed at how comfortable I’ve gotten. When people connect with it, they connect with it hard. For the six weeks of my residency, at least once or twice a day, I hugged and cried with people; I never would have expected that I would be the one to do that. Clearly, our society doesn’t prepare us for how to handle grief. Everyone goes through it; it’s not unique, but in our society, you’re emotionally quarantined, and you’re supposed to come back in two or three days and be fine.
Symbolic Pilots: It’s been challenging in the sense of how to make it relatable and not so autobiographical, how to make it about the human experience and not just about me. I’m drawn to the symbolism of military pilots, which can be challenging for some people; they may see the military and be turned off by it. However, when they do look past the symbology, there’s room to connect. I’m not painting sad paintings. They’re not about depression. I’m painting the positive aspects of healing and growing from darker places. In my earlier work, there were dark, heavy colors, but more recently, it has lightened up.
Adding Color: I’ve done 13 murals in Charleston, James Island, West Ashley, and Mount Pleasant. A lot of them are commissioned, and a handful of them I’ve been given full creative expression. I love adding color to the city. It’s amazing how you can activate a space. I’m excited about murals that push a narrative that challenges people in positive ways. If it’s just pretty, it just becomes wallpaper. I’m more into starting a conversation in the community, making people stop and think, and putting a smile on people’s faces and energizing them.
