Limited Edition – Gerhard Marx, ‘Near Far’

Gerhard Marx (b. 1976) constructs drawings, sculptures and performance projects through careful dissection and reconstruction of both imagery and subject. Examining pre-existent conventions of knowledge systems, visual ‘certainties’ and the power relations inherent in such systems, he reconfigures and transcribes his materials into fictional, subjective, illogical geometries, to explore the poetic-philosophical potential therein. Marx’s artistic output is impressive and extensive: He has participated in prominent international art fairs and events, including the Venice Biennale, Frieze London, and Art Basel; he has staged theatre productions in the USA, at London’s Royal Festival Hall and in South Africa; and he has collaborated with the likes of William Kentridge in creating public sculptures.

In Near Far, Marx returns to his particular interest in the construct or idea of distance – and the question of engaging distance without it becoming a kind of nearness. He writes: In this work, I return to the idea of visual distance. Within the restrictive surface-area of each canvas, I set myself the task of exploring the possibilities of describing depths, volumes and distances. By playing with, manipulating and confusing the geometries that traditionally describe three-dimensional space, the spatial relation between objects, ground and horizon-line, what is in front and what is behind etc., the work starts to propose impossible volumes, leading the eye into a depth of spatial imaginaries.

Gerhard Marx, ‘Near Far’, 2021, hand-pulled screen print on BFK Rives 250gsm, 54x65cm, Edition of 40 plus 2 APs.

WARNING. Keep out of direct sunlight. Handle with extreme care as works on paper are easily creased, bent or torn. Store in a dry, climate controlled facility.

This work is couriered rolled in a protective tube or flat on a protective backing board. Frame with non-acidic archival materials.