Contemporary artist Marc Schmitz believes that the time of the masters is history.
Featured image: Shabaka, Marrakesh Biennale 2016
A conceptual work reveals its own structure, the naked mind itself, and not the meaning which is in the foreground.
Contemporary artist Marc Schmitz installing at Greengrassi & Corvi Mora, London 2018
What is the primary role of an artist? How do you describe yourself in the context of challenging people’s perspectives via your work and art?
That is a funny question. There is a contradiction between what you call a “role” and what it possibly means to be an artist. Usually we are trained to identify with a role, as an engineer, as a mother, as a dentist or a businessman and so on. Of course, this is only one aspect of our so called professional life, and if we get condensed in that role, we might feel uncomfortable. We are not just one, and we do not have only one skill or mission. Following this you could understand the “role” of an artist as to set free these limitations, to get rid of the narrow context itself. When artists try to get recognised, they condense themselves in one specific creation, face, image etc., to sell the brand. Instead, one should step back from one dimensional labelling and understand the diversity within oneself, and in terms of art, and not being a visitor but participating in the joy of creation. For me, to come back to your question, I see myself as a conceptual artist, and by this I mean researching ideas in order to understand the contemporary issues of the world by transforming visual statements.
Exhibition view, painting N° 106. Contemporary artist Marc Schmitz. Moproo, Shanghai.
How do you deal with the conceptual difficulty and uncertainty of creating work?
Actually that is the best of it all. Most “things” in daily life happen in steady repetition. It is okay to get up in the morning, brush your teeth, have a coffee and breakfast, read the news and check our emails etc., right? It is fine that we have similar rhythms and rituals, but the question is who are we beside that, what does our heart really beat for? Jenny Holzer had once said, “You are a victim of the rules you live by.”
In my book art is the creation and outcome of a singularity. In simple words: it would just not be there if we would not have created it. And by this it would enrich life, unfold the wish that we have, illuminate a conflict out of the dark. In fact, the basis of all creation is uncertainty. At the same time we can find within this uncertainty a much stronger power than we might expect.
Painting N° 82, Contemporary artist Marc Schmitz. Galerie Kai Hilgemann, Berlin.
Let’s talk about the evolution of your practice over the years. Tell us about your commitment to your current medium.
I spoke with a curator recently and he mentioned that it is almost impossible to see how an artist might develop in the future. Even though one might have strong statements and public response, he might be soon forgotten. This is even more important if you look at the issues one is working on. The life of an artist makes sense if you look back. I understand why I did this or that often a month or even years later. That is also the challenge of going public with brand new works for an exhibition.
I will give you an example. Year ago I designed a solo exhibition in my gallery in Berlin and, beside paintings, sculptures and installations I added a neon work that I considered was important. The neon sign, which was in British Rose Universe font, read: WE TAKE CARE OF YOUR SEX. During the opening I realised that most of the visitors could not make much sense of it and felt a bit uncomfortable about the work. Sure, one of the aims was to provoke, in terms of “hey sex is yours, why should anybody care about it?” But then years later when the #metoo debate came up, the meaning changed completely. Later, I presented this work at the international Bangkok Biennale in the BACC (the main museum of contemporary art in BKK) and the meaning changed dramatically. People loved it and were posing for selfies with the work. Now, imagine if that work were presented in China. It would be perceived differently, unlike say in Thailand or New York, because issues of cyber control would come up. That is what a conceptual work does – it reveals its own structure, the naked mind itself, and not the meaning which is in the foreground.
I closely follow my ideas and things come together, creation happens. It unfolds life. I worked a lot for biennials. The work there would need to be produced. It is often not the outcome of what I directly do in my studio. But the studio offers me balance. I have continued over the years to do painting, even when it was not really fancy to do so. I see painting as a good way not thinking but seeing what happens directly, where you stand. You can do that completely independently with little effort of production and economic resources.
Anyway, understanding “evolution” comes through via consistent review in time.
Solo Exhibition at M50. Contemporary artist Marc Schmitz. Shanghai.
Let’s talk about your career, or if you prefer artistic journey. What were your biggest learning and hiccups along the way?
I learned that I have to believe in my work and be patient. Once I did a project for Busan Biennial. I was waiting for steel structure to be delivered at Haeundae Beach. The company kept complaining that some data was corrupt. Unfortunately, I had to wait for two weeks. Nothing happened or moved forward. Other artists were making fun of me. It was terrible. The night before the opening a truck came with my work. It looked exceptional and was received very well.
How does your audience interact and react to your work?
First the audience is invited to enjoy and appreciate the art. I have seen that many people feel insecure in terms of understanding contemporary art from an intellectual viewpoint. From my view, the explanation is less important. The experience and personal impression counts. My work is collaborative rather than interactive. The experience is always the most personal event happening in our basic senses. Whatever comes up could lead to the next step.
The Nomads Square. Contemporary artist Marc Schmitz.
Who are your maestros?
Well, I think the time of the masters is history. In a way, mastery itself seems to be forgotten in this busy art world. I was touched very much by Joseph Beuys in my younger days for his incredible coherence and his genius idea of bringing all these shamanistic spirits into the art world. In painting, I loved Morris Louis and Josef Albers, all figures out of another time.
Artists often experience contradicting motivations while dealing with the commercial and the creative. How do you balance the two? How does your interaction with a curator, gallery or client evolve?
I don’t see a general conflict between economics and creation, or planning, producing and so on. Larger festivals like biennials would be impossible to run without proper planning and sound finances. What shocks me is when artists are overtly focussed on the commercial aspect of art. Of course, there is a commercial aspect, but it is not really the interesting part of art. If an artist carefully does what he feels like, there won’t be any conflict. If you do something just for the money, it would not really be interesting.
Limbo, Contemporary artist Marc Schmitz. Bangkok Art Biennale 2019, BACC Bangkok.
Tell us about your studio, what kind of place is it? Could you describe your usual work day in the studio?
Studio is important for me, even though in some periods I just work online, collaborating with other workshops. My studio is like a monastery. I was lucky that everywhere I had good studios. Here in Berlin, I work with a skylight, that makes me independent from electric lights. Studio work is a bit of a secret. I guess every artist has a different way of working. While working I step into another world. I act quite fast then, guided by the work itself. I can’t hang around in the studio, be present for some time, and then leave.
SIREN, Contemporary artist Marc Schmitz, Folkestone Tiennial, 2017, England.
Are you more of a studio artist or naturally collaborative by nature? How do you feel about commissions?
I would say that I have a day job and that is painting, and at night I step out for amazing projects that call me. I love working in professional teams from museums and biennials. These night jobs are no longer just “my works”. I hate the term “project”, but any work in a public sphere needs complex production. Working in a team is a pleasurable experience, especially when the final realisation of the idea happens for everyone involved.
Spaces for Open Minds. Contemporary artist Marc Schmitz. Sea World Art Center, Shenzhen.
What are you working on now? What’s coming next season?
Actually I am thrilled by a painting project that I call The Nomads Square. It’s about gangs and horses, grand masters and underdogs, about the immanence. I also doing White studies, which are explorations of daily and nightly social behaviour. The message is about “the perfect place for your life”, which does not exist.
I will step on to other projects after that and travel later in the year. Maybe Kochi… Let’s see.
Before you go – you might like to browse our Artist Interviews. Interviews of artists and outliers on how to be an artist. Contemporary artists on the source of their creative inspiration.
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