SELECTED WORKS BY Marc Swanson
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Marc Swanson
Psychic Studies
2006
Wood, mirrored acrylic, paint
243.8 x 243.8 x 3.8 cm |
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Approaching his practice as a means of self-exploration, Marc Swanson’s work examines the notion of masculine identity through a variety of media ranging from film, to sculpture, installation, and painting. Reconciling queer sensibility with the ultra conservatism of rural folk arts, Swanson’s Psychic Studies approaches themes of power, spirituality and tradition through an aesthetic of heightened sensuality. Psychic Studies takes the form of a large reflective wall mount; its radial motif suggestive of a web, shield, mystical symbol, or hunting lodge fixture. Constructed from painted wood and mirrored acrylic, Swanson’s form exudes the timeless potency of artefact and the illicit allure of kitsch. |
Marc Swanson
Black Glitter
2007
Enamel, glitter, glass
11 parts Overall dimensions:305 x 277 cm |
 
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ARTIST INFORMATION
ARTICLES
Marc Swanson
This exhibition is a representation of the artist's continuing pursuit of self-awareness via the artistic process. Consisting of three main components, it is as if the work has been dreamed up by Swanson's subconscious manifesting in glitter and etched mirror-paintings, hand-made glass sculptures, and a large-scale dioramic installation.
The black glitter and mirror pieces, inspired by carnival novelty prizes, are arranged horizontally against the entrance wall. They form a dichotomy between the fantastical and self-exploratory. The etched mirrors, inspired by self-reflection and personal perceptions, consist of a singular image, such as a colored target, a peacock, a flying goat, and the pop icon Madonna. These mirrors have been partially scratched off and much like Swanson's earlier rhinestone covered objects these reflective surfaces play upon feelings of diffidence, desire and acceptance. They are glamorous objects full of aspiration, memory and nostalgia.
Also in the front gallery, five glass arrows seem to have been shot into the wall. These sculptures act as poetic anachronisms, futile and impossible in reality, but pleasurable for their romantic gesture.
Greeting the viewer in the rear gallery is a full-scale installation. A wooded mise-en-scene is composed of 17-foot beech and hemlock tree trunks framed by a canopy of tree branches acquired by the artist from the woods behind his father's property in rural New Hampshire. In a gesture not unlike gilding a lily, Swanson has painted a peacock re-presenting it in a forced acrylic palette. Swanson employs the peacock as a symbol of male allure though it is underscored by a sense of self-questioning as the artist continues his exploration of the self. Handmade wasp nests and cages full of old liquor bottles hang from above in this forest of the subconscious. They are overt allusions to danger while the bird's nests allude to safe havens.
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Source: bellwethergallery.com
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Other artists in ABSTRACT AMERICA: NEW PAINTING AND SCULPTURE 2
Dan Bayles | Matthew Brannon | Dan Colen | Andy Collins | Judith Eisler | Inka Essenhigh | Will Fowler | Dana Frankfort | Eric Freeman | Barnaby Furnas | Joanne Greenbaum | Marc Handelman | Douglas Kolk | Ryan McGinness | Ivan Morley | Michael Phelan | David Ratcliff | Scott Reeder | Halsey Rodman | Ruth Root | Josh Smith | Marc Swanson | Garth Weiser | Aaron Wexler
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