Artist: Marck

Special event: WALKER – Marck’s Playground. Saturday 20 January, 3pm-4pm

In October 2023, Bluerider ART presents a significant exhibition as it welcomes Swiss artist Marck to our Taipei·Dunren gallery for a one-month artist residency. This unique event marks the global debut of Marck's experimental exhibition, "Marck's Playground." It not only invites viewers to interact and explore the creative process but also draws inspiration from Marck's observations of daily life in Taiwan, utilizing local materials for his work. Additionally, symbolizing Taiwan's street culture, a transformed claw machine will be on display, offering surprise gifts for audience interaction.

Marck (Switzerland, b. 1964) is a renowned Swiss contemporary artist known for his Video Sculpture. He currently resides and works in Zurich. Marck is an unconventional artist who, despite his early talent, entered a prestigious art institution but dropped out halfway due to his inability to tolerate formal education. He later pursued various careers, including automobile dismantling, mechanical engineering, rock singing, and designing technological installations. Marck's diverse life experiences go beyond the imagination of academy-trained artists. He has created his own style of video sculpture that explores themes like frames, women, observation, and interaction, delving deep into societal issues. Introduced to Asia by Bluerider ART, Marck was awarded the International Culture Award by the Italian Academia Culturale Internazionale Cartagine in 2019. His works have been exhibited at significant international exhibitions, including the Rappaport Art Center and the Saint Petersburg Contemporary Art Museum, as well as being featured in important international institutions such as the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the Istanbul Art Center, and the Karlsruhe Center for Art and Media. They are also held in numerous private collections worldwide.
 
Dr. Andres Pardey, a renowned Swiss art historian and critic, commented, "Marck's artistic career has been characterized by four key elements from the beginning to the present: video, design, women, and narration, which includes the interactive process. Marck's works typically start with video creation, often featuring women in confined spaces, sometimes struggling. The women in his videos are often portrayed with scant clothing, and their portrayal may be subject to various interpretations, some of which might be colored by prejudice. However, conversely, we can also discern messages of oppression and constraint from the images. The interpretation of his work often depends on different perspectives on gender, with some viewers being straightforward while others are voyeuristic. These diverse viewpoints emphasize that viewers are free to judge for themselves rather than having interpretations imposed upon them. It's these personal moments that determine the content of the works. Marck's art invites an interactive process, with the artist, the work, and the audience all contributing to it. His works directly touch on the challenges and pressures faced by women, releasing a variety of emotions, making them exceptionally meaningful."
 
Marck has stated that he is deeply influenced by members of the Fluxus experimental art movement from 1962, such as Nam June Paik, and the founder of Video Art, Wolf Vostell. He once said, "The purpose of video is not to narrate a story but to evoke emotions in the audience." For him, technology is just a means to an end. He designs video by shooting film scenes and erases the static nature of traditional sculpture. He combines this with the creation of physical sculptures, crafted by hand, to provide a tactile experience. His work attracts audiences of all races, ages, and genders worldwide, allowing them to appreciate the joy and imagination in distinguishing between the virtual and the real.
After a seven-year hiatus, Marck returns to Taiwan at the invitation of Bluerider ART. He will spend a month as an artist-in-residence in Taipei's Dunren and establish an artist's studio. His solo exhibition in 2023, "Marck's Playground," will not only invite viewers to interact and explore the creative playground but also draw inspiration from his observations of life in Taiwan and create works on-site. Additionally, mini versions of his work, "Mini Transport Crates," will be placed in claw crane machines symbolizing Taiwan's street culture for the audience to play with. Works like "Bon appétit," which uses canned meal trays, will offer various interactive formats. The exhibition will include a series of new and classic works: "Phone connected" (2023): This piece portrays the interconnectedness of social networks and contemporary social modes through continuous images in the palm of the hand. "Shame": This work, employing kinetic installations, either exposes or conceals the female body, sparking debates and emotions regarding "nudity culture." "Gegenstrom" (Large classic work): It depicts women swimming in water, with slow-motion body movements symbolizing the desire for survival and exploration. "Clockwork": Combining video and kinetic installations, it explores the evasive states between women and pendulums, evoking feelings of anxiety and discomfort. "Sleepless": Using rhythmic percussion installations and video representation, it generates tension and a sense of insomnia.

The subjects in Marck's works represent a microcosm of society, revealing the physiological and psychological states of modern individuals in various social strata. Whether in familiar or unfamiliar environments, they reflect their perceptions of time and space. The collision between the subjects and frames is portrayed through layers of constraints, illustrating how modern individuals navigate the limitations and respond within the boundaries of existence. Marck's works present these issues through video sculptures, evoking resonance and imagination among the viewers. If an artist can create the physiological and psychological states of humans in various social contexts in their works, then "Marck's Playground" exhibition and his works are a journey that allows the audience to experience various psychological situations.