Bluerider ART, a progressive gallery, was founded in 2013 by Taipei-based IT entrepreneur Elsa Wang. It launches it’s 2024 Programme by expanding its Artistic Footprint with its new Mayfair Gallery in London.
Bluerider ART has launched its inaugural exhibition of the year, MARCK’s Playground, a solo exhibition of work by multidisciplinary Swiss artist Marck In its newest gallery space in Mayfair, London. This will be the Marck’s first solo show in the UK in over a decade.
Bluerider ART has set its sights on the vibrant art scene of London, having successfully established two galleries in Taipei’s city centre and a prominent presence in The Bund, Shanghai, in 2021, Bluerider ART. Positioned as a cultural hub that resonates with art enthusiasts, collectors, and international visitors, this new Mayfair space is located at 47 Albemarle Street.
This expansion marks a significant milestone for Bluerider ART, which is known for its commitment to fostering artists’ self-expression across various art forms, with a distinct focus on the convergence of technology and art.
MARCK’s Playground presents a series of strikingly inventive and mesmerising video works, framed in the context of the artist’s signature handcrafted sculptures. It runs 14 March – 26 May 2024.
Renowned for his experimental works in video sculpture, March’s work has been exhibited globally. His work frequently portrays women, sometimes struggling or confined in narrow spaces. The works address societal issues through themes such as hope and hopelessness, frustration and faith, freedom and grace.
The artist’s use of sculpted metal frames to confine his videos function as metaphors for the boundaries women face in society, pointing to further questions around voyeurism and human interaction.
Artistic innovation and sensory delight converge in MARCK’s Playground. The works serve as a journey through which to experience a variety of psychological scenarios.
Marck’s large-scale classic work Gegenstrom depicts a woman swimming in slow motion, expressing a desire for survival and exploration.
Clockwork combines video and kinetic installation, provoking feelings of anxiety in its showcase of avoidance dynamics between a woman and a pendulum; while Phone Connected presents an innovative manifestation of global social network connections and contemporary social modes.
These video sculptures represent a societal microcosm, reflecting the physiological and psychological states of modern individuals across various social strata, navigating familiarity and unfamiliarity, and grappling with identity in time and space.
Furthermore, the collision between subject and frame unfolds under multiple layers of constraints, illustrating how modern individuals traverse the boundaries of survival and respond to the limitations of existence – casting these questions towards the audience to inspire both resonance and imagination.
Marck’s unique approach to the combined disciplines of video and sculpture is in many ways informed by his unconventional artistic journey. While he initially enrolled in a prestigious, traditional art school, he soon left to engage, instead, in a series of diverse occupations, from auto dismantling and mechanical electrics to rock music and tech installation design. Marck also acknowledges deep influences from Fluxus member Nam June Paik, as well as Wolf Vostell, considered one of the pioneers of video art. For Marck, technology is both a means and a purpose, meant not to narrate a story but to evoke an emotion through a distinction between the virtual and the real.
Speaking of the work, Swiss art historian and critic Dr. Andres Pardey tells us: “Interpretations may vary, with some viewing through a lens of objectification, while others analyse the visuals for signs of oppression and constraints.
The diverse perspectives, ranging from open acknowledgment to clandestine observation, contribute to a unique interactive interpretation process involving the artist, the artwork, and the audience. Marck’s direct engagement with the external challenges and pressures faced by women in his works releases a spectrum of emotions, making his art profoundly meaningful.”
In addition to Marck’s exciting video sculptures, Bluerider ART invites visitors to gain a unique and immersive insight into the artist’s practice, with a site-specific studio installed within the gallery space.
Audiences are encouraged to interact with and explore Marck’s creative working process in the playground, where the artist will also draw inspiration from his observations of local life, incorporating features and facets of the neighbourhood into his on-site creations.
MARCK’s Playground runs at Bluerider ART London: 47 Albemarle Street, London W1S 4JW from 14 March to 26 May 2024.
