Marc Bauer

Marc Bauer (born 28 May 1975, Geneva, Switzerland) is an artist best known for his works in the graphic medium, primarily drawing.

Life and career

Marc Bauer studied at the Ecole supérieure d’art visuel (now HEAD) in Geneva and the Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten, in Amsterdam. He lives and works in Berlin and Zurich.

Bauer's works have been exhibited worldwide at institutions including group exhibitions at the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao (2021); Migros Museum, Zurich (2019); Kunsthaus Zurich (2019); S.M.A.K., Ghent (2015); Albertina Museum, Vienna (2015); Centre Pompidou (2011 and 2014).
And solo exhibitions notably at the Berlinische Galerie (2020-2021); Istituto Svizzero, Milan (2020); Drawing Room, London (2019); Museum Folkwang, Essen (2014); Centre Culturel Suisse, Paris (2013); Kunstmuseum St. Gallen (2011); MAMCO, Geneva (2010) and was included in 2018 Biennale of Sydney and the 2014 Liverpool Biennial.

In 2020 Bauer was the laureate of the Swiss Grand Award for Art / Prix Meret Oppenheim. and in the same year received the GASAG Art Prize.

Since 2015 Marc Bauer is permanent lecturer at Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK).

Work

Style and technique

Bauer's graphic work is rendered almost exclusively in black-and-white, a pared-down aesthetic that seems deliberately evocative of old photographs. In scale, his graphic work varies widely, from small works on paper to large-scale images comprising several sheets pieced together, to digital prints made of blow-ups of his drawings, and even enormous wall drawings, rendered directly on the wall. Other supports for his work have included ceramic vases and coated Dibond aluminium panels.
Bauer often produces works in series, and his exhibitions are usually conceived as site-specific installations that address the exhibition space as a larger composition. These installations frequently include a non-hierarchical arrangement of drawings – mostly unframed – pinned onto the walls, as well as drawings (often studies for the larger works) sometimes presented in specimen display cases to be viewed from above, textual accompaniments (sometimes even drawings of handwritten material such as letters), projections of earlier graphic works, objects (usually ones featured in a drawing), and large graphic murals made on the gallery's walls expressly for the show, which often add an illusionistic element to the overall display.

Notably, Bauer's installations also often feature drawings from earlier series, and this "recycling" leads to their ongoing re-contextualization and serves to underscore long-running themes that are then presented in a new, sometimes topical light. A good example of this is Bauer's continual (possibly even anachronistic) exploration of the theme of fascism, viewed most recently from the perspective of the Gurlitt case and the Nazi's " Degenerate Art" campaign.

Visually, Bauer's works are typically dark in tone and the contours of his figures are often blurred, through his practice of using a hard thin eraser to rub away and smear the graphite and lithographic chalk and to achieve a sense of depth. This blurring effect partly gives Bauer's drawings their distinctive "look" and also subverts the traditional concept of the line as the defining element in the art of drawing, as in some works – especially his landscapes or images of deserted cinemas and swimming pools – the dense application and distribution of the graphite has, at first glance, a paint-like, textured appearance. This effect culminates in the technique deployed in Bauer's animated film ''The Architect'', in which the application of an oil paint on Plexiglas is captured in thousands of stop-motion images and even becomes a narrative element in itself which propels the story forward.

The blurring created through the repeated erasure and addition of more pencil simulates the process of remembering and forgetting that lies at the heart of Bauer's artistic endeavour, and which is encapsulated in his statement “in order to remember, you need to forget first”. The smudging of contour also echoes techniques traditionally associated with painting, such as sfumato and shows Bauer entering into a centuries-old discourse within the history of art about the possibilities of his chosen medium, contested here not necessarily against the art of painting, but against the supposed sharpness, objectivity, and dominance of the photographic image.

Subject matter

A key recurring theme in Bauer's art is history and memory – the personal and the collective – which he presents as closely intertwined. Some of his earliest works on paper drew from childhood memories and snapshots from family albums, featuring images of his own relations (as in the 2007 “''A viso aperto''” sequence from the artist's book ''History of Masculinity''). These were interspersed with images of historical figures from the time, such as Mussolini and Hitler. Through this juxtaposition, the power relations in the family images were infused with broader power dynamics at play among the general populace under fascism.

Over the course of his oeuvre, Bauer's investigation of history and historiography has evolved from the primarily personal (as in “''A viso aperto''”) to broader social and political histories (e.g. ''Monument, Roman-Odessa'' and ''The will of desire'') and increasingly involves him making archival research into his intended subjects beforehand. For instance, for the group show
''Sacré 101 – An Exhibition Based on "The Rite of Spring"''
Bauer accessed the archives of the Ballets Russes to form his own personal impression of the dancer Vaslav Nijinsky and his suffering of schizophrenia. And in preparation for his show at the Aargauer Kunsthaus in 2014, Bauer's research into Hildebrand Gurlitt's involvement in the fate of two works by Karl Ballmer led him to access the archives at the Karl Ballmer Foundation. In both cases, Bauer's use of the archive, usually a touchstone for objectivity, resulted in a highly subjective perspective on his subject.

The subjective view on a historical topic is also achieved through Bauer's frequent invention of characters that provide a narrative structure for his series of drawings. These characters are often teenage boys or young men (as in ''In the Past, Only'', Le Quartier, Quimper, and ''The Architect''), whose actions convey a sense of latent violence and repressed (often homoerotic) desires. The narrative element in Bauer's work is further buoyed up by his repeated appropriation and reworking of well-known films, notably the iconic black-and-white images of silent cinema ( Battleship Potemkin in ''Monument, Roman-Odessa'', Nosferatu in ''The Architect''), but also more recent, colour films such as Planet of the Apes, and La Jetée in ''Fragments of 29 Minutes, 1963''. In his use of such sources, Bauer usually selects key images from the film and reworks them as graphically rendered stills. Shown in an elliptical sequence, these series adopt cinematic editing effects that require the spectator to piece together the narrative in their mind, while also tapping into the spectator's collective consciousness, in a process that “explores the way popular culture constructs its myths and symbols”.

A similar effect is achieved through Bauer's practice of culling images from historical photographs. These can range from intimate portrait shots (Martin Heidegger in the work ''Die Grosse Erwartung von M.H.''), to school-photograph-like group portraits, and images of famous historical figures such as Pope Benedict XVI or Goebbels. These portrait drawings nearly always bring attention to the fact that they are derived from photographs and that the sitters are conscious of being portrayed. As such, Bauer can be said not only to reference specific photographs, but also the medium of photography itself as means of capturing moments in time. Accordingly, the atmosphere of Bauer's drawings often convey a characteristic sense of stillness (even when the figures are depicted in motion) and of the images’ “mediatedness”. This exploration of the concept of capturing time is reflected in his recurring interest and depiction of still lifes. By using the medium of drawing, in which each work is the result of a slow process formed by the continual interaction between the eye, mind, and hand, Bauer creates images that are in many ways more “still” than they appear in the photograph on which they are based or if they were shot by camera.

Selected exhibitions

Solo

*2021 ''L’Etat de la mer (Lame de fond, 2011-2020)'', FRAC Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand
*2020 ''The Blow-Up Regime'', Berlinische Galerie, Berlin
*2020 ''Mal Ȇtre / Performance'', De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill on Sea
*2020 ''Mi piace Commenta Condividi, A Rhetorical Figure'', Istituto Svizzero Milano
*2019 ''Mal Ȇtre / Performance'', Drawing Room, London
*2018 ''Avondland'', Deweer Gallery, Otegem
*2017 ''An unser Schicksal von Heute und Morgen'', Galerie Peter Kilchmann, Zurich
*2016 ''Focus sur les collections Marc Bauer, Le Bal'', Musée Jenisch, Vevey
*2015 '' EMPEROR ME'', Freymond-Guth Fine Arts Ltd., Zurich
*2015 ''Cinerama'', Frac Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Marseille
*2015 ''Static / Unfolding Time'', Deweer Gallery, Otegem
*2014 ''Cinerama'', Frac Alsace, Sélestat
*2014 ''Der Sammler'', Museum Folkwang, Essen
*2014 ''In the past, only'', Le Quartier, Quimper
*2014 ''Cinerama'', Frac Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand
*2013 ''The Astronaut'', Freymond-Guth Fine Arts, Zurich
*2013 ''Le Collectionneur'', Centre Culturel Suisse, Paris
*2012 ''Pleins Pouvoirs, septembre'', La Station, Nice
*2012 ''Le ravissement mais l'aube, déjà'', Musée d'art de Pully, Lausanne. With Sara Masüger
*2012 ''Nature as Territory'', Kunsthaus Baselland, Muttenz/Basel
*2011 ''Totstell-Reflexe'', partly with Christine Abbt, Kunstmuseum St. Gallen, St. Gallen
*2010 ''Premier conte sur le pouvoir'', MAMCO, Geneva
*2009 ''LAQUE'', Frac Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand
*2007 ''History of Masculinity'', attitudes, Geneva
*2006 ''Geschichte der Männlichkeit III'', o.T. Raum für aktuelle Kunst, Lucerne
*2005 ''Overthrowing the King in His Own Mind'', with Shahryar Nashat and Alexia Walther, Kunstmuseum Solothurn, Solothurn
*2004 ''Tautology'', Stedelijk Museum Bureau, Amsterdam
*2004 ''Happier Healthier'', Store Gallery, London
*2001 ''Archeology'', attitudes, Geneva
*2000 ''Swiss Room'', Art-Magazin, Zurich

Group

*2021 ''Los locos años veinte / The Roaring Twenties'', Guggenheim Bilbao. Curated by Petra Joos and Cathérine Hug
*2021 ''XXL Le dessin contemporain en grand'', Musée Jenisch,
*2021 ''Réserve du Patron'', Kunstmuseum Solothurn
*2020 ''Schall und Rauch'', Kunsthaus Zurich. Curated by Cathérine Hug
*2019 ''United by AIDS - An Exhibition about Loss, Remembrance, Activism and Art in Response to HIV/AIDS'', Migros Museum, Zurich. Curated by Raphael Gygax
*2019 ''Anatomy of Political Melancholy'', The Athens Conservatory, Athens. Curated by Katerina Gregos
*2018 ''21st Biennale of Sydney'', Sydney Australia. Curated by Mami Kataoka
*2018 ''Autofiktionen - Zeichnung der Gegenwart'', Wilhelm Hack museum, Ludwigshafen
*2017 ''10 Years Guerlain Drawing Prize'', Centre Pompidou, Paris
*2017 ''Ewige Gegenwart, Zeitgenössische Kunst Aus Der Graphischen Sammlung Eth Zürich'', Helmhaus, Zurich
*2017 ''Cinéma mon amour. Film in Art'', Aargauer Kunsthaus, Aarau
*2016 ''Museum Revisited 1996–2016'', Migros Museum, Zurich
*2016 ''Nous pourrions danser ensemble'', Bâtiment d’Art Contemporain (BAC), Geneva
*2016 ''Retour au meilleur des mondes'', Frac Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand
*2016 ''Il y a de l’autre'', Rencontres d’Arles. Curated by Agnès Geoffray and Julie Jones
*2016 ''Donations - Florence & Daniel Guerlain'', KUNSTEN Museum of Modern Art, Aalborg. Curated by Jonas Storsve
*2016 ''A quoi tient la beauté des étreintes'', Frac Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand
*2015 ''The Bottom Line'', S.M.A.K, Ghent. Curated by Martin Germann and Philippe van Cauteren
*2015 ''Triennial of Contemporary Prints'', Musée des beaux-arts, Le Locle.
*2015 ''Europa, Die Zukunft der Geschichte'', Kunsthaus Zurich. Curated by Cathérine Hug
*2015 ''Drawing Now'', Albertina, Vienna. Curated by Elsy Lahner
*2015 ''Meeting Point'', Kunstverein Konstanz. Curated by Axel Lapp
*2015 ''Drawing Biennial'', Drawing Room, London
*2015 ''Meisterzeichnungen, 100 Jahre Grafische Sammlung'', Kunsthaus Zurich
*2014 ''Docking Station'', Aargauer Kunsthaus, Aarau
*2014 '' Liverpool Biennial'', curated by Mai Abu ElDahab and Anthony Huberman
*2014 ''Sacré 101 – An Exhibition Based on "The Rite of Spring"'', Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst, Zurich. Curated by Raphael Gygax
*2013 ''Donation Florence et Daniel Guerlain'', Centre Pompidou, Paris
*2013 ''Les Pléiades - 30 ans des FRAC'', Les Abattoirs, Toulouse
*2012 ''Reality Manifestos, or Can Dialectics Break Bricks?'', Kunsthalle Exnergasse, Vienna
*2011 ''Le réel est inadmissible, d’ailleurs il n’existe pas'', Centre d’Art du Hangar à Bananes, Nantes
*2011 ''The Beirut Experience'', Beirut Art Center, Beirut
*2011 ''In erster Linie'', Kunstmuseums Solothurn
*2010 ''Voici un dessin Suisse (1990-2010)'', Musée Rath, Geneva
*2009 ''Usages du document'', Centre Culturel Suisse, Paris
*2008 ''Shifting identities'', Kunsthaus, Zurich
*2004 ''Fürchte Dich'', Helmhaus, Zürich
*2004 ''A Molecular History of Everything'', Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Melbourne
*2003 ''Durchzug/Draft'', Kunsthalle, Zürich

Projects

*2019 ''White Violence: an Index of Torture'', wall drawing at , France
*2015 City hospital Triemli, Zurich. Wall drawings
*2015 Wall drawing in Kaufleuten Zurich
*2013 Aubusson tapestry in cooperation with Aubusson Tapestry Museum, ''Melancholia I''
Musée de la tapisserie d’Aubusson
*2013 ''La Révolte et L'Ennui'', curated exhibition with interventions by Marc Bauer. FRAC Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand
*2013 ''The Architect'', Animated film, 27 minutes. Cooperation between Marc Bauer who animated the film and wrote the script, and the French music group Kafka who composed and performed the music.

Publications

* ''White Violence, on domination, displacement and populism''. Artist book. Published by FRAC Auvergne
* ''The Blow-Up Regime, GASAG Kunstpreis 2020''. Catalogue/artist book. Published by Berlinische Galerie
* ''United by AIDS - An Anthology on Art in Response to HIV / AIDS'', catalogue.
* ''Now-Tomorrow-Flux - An Anthology on the Museum of Contemporary Art''. JPR Ringier,
* ''The Bottom Line'', catalogue. Published by S.M.A.K. Ghent,
* ''Drawing Now'', catalogue. Published by Albertina, Vienna,
* ''Europa, die Zukunft der Geschichte'', catalogue, Published by Kunsthaus Zurich.
* ''Meisterzeichnungen, 100 Jahre Grafische Sammlung'', catalogue. Published by Kunsthaus Zurich.
* ''The Architect'', artists' book. Published by Frac Auvergne, Alsace and Paca, 2014.
* ''The Collector'', artists' book. Published by Centre Culturel Suisse, Paris, 2013.
* ''Sacré 101 - An Exhibition Based on the Rite of Spring'', catalogue. Published by Migros Museum, 2013.
* ''VITAMIN D2 - New perspectives in drawing'', catalogue. Published by Phaidon, London - New York, 2013.
* ''Donation Florence et Daniel Guerlain - Dessins contemporains'', catalogue. Published by Centre Pompidou, Paris, 2013.
* ''The Beirut Experience'', catalogue. Published by attitudes, Genf.
* ''MARC BAUER'', monographic catalogue. Published by Kehrer, Heidelberg; and Kunstmuseum St.Gallen, 2011.
* ''STEEL'', artist book. Published by FRAC Auvergne, 2009.
* ''History of masculinity'', artist book. Published by attitudes, Geneva, 2007.
* ''Documents, Marc Bauer: Tautology'', writings. Published by Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten, Amsterdam, 2005
* ''Overthrowing the king in his own mind'', catalogue. Published by Kunstmuseum Solothurn and Revolver Editions, 2005.
* ''Happier Healthier'', artist book in cooperation with Vincent van der Marck and Store Gallery, London, 2004
* ''Across the Great Channel'', artist book. Published by Memory Cage editions, Zürich, 2000.

Prizes

*2020 Prix Meret Oppenheim 2020
*2020 GASAG Kunstpreis 2020, Berlin
*2011 Prize of the Cité Internationale de la Tapisserie et de l‘Art Tissé, Aubusson
*2009 Prix Manor, Geneva
*2006 Swiss Art Awards, Basel
*2006 Artist residency in Beijing of the GegenwART Foundation, Berne
*2005 Swiss Art Awards, Basel
*2005 Swiss Institute residency, Rome
*2001 Swiss Art Awards, Basel
*1999 Prix Théodore Strawinsky, Geneva

Public collections

* Aargauer Kunsthaus
* Museum Folkwang, Essen
* Centre Pompidou - Musée National d´Art Moderne, Paris
* Musée d'art de Pully, Lausanne
* Migros museum für gegenwartskunst, Zurich
* Kunstmuseum St. Gallen, St. Gallen
* Kunstmuseum Solothurn, Solothurn
* Kunsthaus, Zurich
* Sturzenegger Stiftung, Museum zu Allerheiligen, Schaffhausen
* FRAC Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand
* FRAC Alsace, Sélestat
* Museo Cantonale d'Arte, LuganoMuseo Cantonale d'Arte, Lugano: Marc Bauer
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External links

marcbauer.net - Official Website

Website Galerie Peter Kilchmann - Marc Bauer

Official website of the exhibition ''The Blow-Up Regime'' at the Berlinische Galerie, 2020-2021

Drawing Room, London - Exhibition Mal Ȇtre / Performance

Videos

Clips of ''The Architect''. Vimeo

Interview with Marc Bauer and images of the exposition'' La Révolte et l'Ennui'' at FRAC Auvergne, July 2013. French


* ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Li6_QE7KGzU Artist talk at the occasion of the exhibition ''Totstell-Reflexe'' at Kunstmuseum St. Gallen, 2011. German
Video interview with Marc Bauer by FRAC Auvergne, 2009. French

Interviews

Interview by Thomas Lapointe for La Revue Entre, 2012. French

Interview by Laurence Cesa-Mugny for the Swiss Institute for Art Research, October 2009. German

Reviews, articles

Article
in Interalia Magazine, by Richard Bright. ''History, memory, masculinity and power balance'', March 2020

Article
in the Fourdrinier, by Sara Jaspan. ''Marc Bauer: Mal Ȇtre / Performance'', October 2019

Review
in Frieze Magazine by Aoife Rosenmeyer. ''Marc Bauer'', March 2016

Article
in Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung by Julia Voss. ''Gurlitt und sein Künstlerfreund'', September 2, 2014

Review
in Artforum by Riccardo Venturi. ''Marc Bauer'', May 2013

Article
by Benjamin Paul for Artforum. ''Viewing Distance'', January 2011

Review
in Artforum by Valérie Knoll. ''Gegen mein Gehirn'' exhibition in Gallerie Elisabeth Kaufmann, 2007

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bauer, Marc
Swiss contemporary artists
Artists from Geneva
1975 births
Living people