https://marcusnelsonstudio.com Marcus Nelson Sun, 25 Oct 2026 09:32:46 +0000 https://marcusnelsonstudio.com en https://marcusnelsonstudio.com/index Tue, 18 Jul 2023 13:08:53 +0000 Marcus Nelson https://marcusnelsonstudio.com/index https://marcusnelsonstudio.com/FREED-FROM-DESIRE-GROUP Sun, 25 Oct 2026 09:32:46 +0000 Marcus Nelson https://marcusnelsonstudio.com/FREED-FROM-DESIRE-GROUP FREED FROM DESIRE Group Show&nbsp; &nbsp; The Bomb Factory Art Foundation Marylebone, London&nbsp;08.10.26 - 30.10.26 &nbsp; <img width="4000" height="6000" width_o="4000" height_o="6000" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/743c431ee6ed651efd6a58f9cf6541d660367bdd46effbf5a260c459f095a761/DSC_6333_2.jpg" data-mid="253680756" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/743c431ee6ed651efd6a58f9cf6541d660367bdd46effbf5a260c459f095a761/DSC_6333_2.jpg" />Instalation views: Marcus Nelson, High Rise (After J.G Ballard), 2026,aluminium, oil on canvas &nbsp;164 x 190 cm, The Bomb Factory Marylebone. Ballards writing has had a huge influence on me over the years. His 1975 book “ High Rise”, explores how quickly and savagely the co - habitants of a large apartment building turn on each other once the central elevator stops working. This work responds to these themes of social regression; I often wonder how quickly society would descend into anarchy without the use of such services, and the isolation many feel in these compact urban environments. <img width="6000" height="4000" width_o="6000" height_o="4000" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/74ae2144db6b71d936a89d044e6f5208cce7119a09769b8d2ad98aaca1a64d94/DSC_6326.jpg" data-mid="253681454" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/74ae2144db6b71d936a89d044e6f5208cce7119a09769b8d2ad98aaca1a64d94/DSC_6326.jpg" /> Exhibition views: <img width="4000" height="2667" width_o="4000" height_o="2667" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/e363ae8616e7abc1fd364698e09799bcfa512f969be439d334a0a46508c8dbe6/DSC04140.jpg" data-mid="253680841" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/e363ae8616e7abc1fd364698e09799bcfa512f969be439d334a0a46508c8dbe6/DSC04140.jpg" /> <img width="4000" height="2666" width_o="4000" height_o="2666" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/ec28ee6fd33781c516aa1847b0ba7cc6c6c52b73159edd4bdfc266f3d6029c6f/DSC04060_4.jpg" data-mid="253680839" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/ec28ee6fd33781c516aa1847b0ba7cc6c6c52b73159edd4bdfc266f3d6029c6f/DSC04060_4.jpg" /> <img width="4000" height="2667" width_o="4000" height_o="2667" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/7f98d69f81befe16b5dab36f79e18552e889cf866b6fbba94c010bf7575f6bc7/DSC04118.jpg" data-mid="253680840" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/7f98d69f81befe16b5dab36f79e18552e889cf866b6fbba94c010bf7575f6bc7/DSC04118.jpg" /> <img width="4000" height="2667" width_o="4000" height_o="2667" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/a955ed3cb795f788bc3c596a7f202282748beeee734318f2f42fab084492a7c1/DSC04179_2.jpg" data-mid="253680845" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/a955ed3cb795f788bc3c596a7f202282748beeee734318f2f42fab084492a7c1/DSC04179_2.jpg" /> <img width="4000" height="2667" width_o="4000" height_o="2667" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/c9d9f3be7bbcfec25db405b82cd4b923afeab4166b5701c598bcf1830016cf04/DSC04244.jpg" data-mid="253680850" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/c9d9f3be7bbcfec25db405b82cd4b923afeab4166b5701c598bcf1830016cf04/DSC04244.jpg" /> <img width="2667" height="4000" width_o="2667" height_o="4000" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/093772f58297cc460d38125ae8a557b1c5acd4610fd49a1b14d0cdaa8683e247/DSC04241-2.jpg" data-mid="253680849" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/093772f58297cc460d38125ae8a557b1c5acd4610fd49a1b14d0cdaa8683e247/DSC04241-2.jpg" /> <img width="4000" height="2667" width_o="4000" height_o="2667" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/f05b8b3c6d43292544d3c1aac66b61774b5f36fb8b04daf6c8fb1f0f6d8a8cd1/DSC04204.jpg" data-mid="253680848" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/f05b8b3c6d43292544d3c1aac66b61774b5f36fb8b04daf6c8fb1f0f6d8a8cd1/DSC04204.jpg" /> <img width="4000" height="2667" width_o="4000" height_o="2667" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/c50da367bd1c850495f49a21a409b39d035031b3edeb4321bac741f7bcccc3b0/DSC04220.jpg" data-mid="253681440" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/c50da367bd1c850495f49a21a409b39d035031b3edeb4321bac741f7bcccc3b0/DSC04220.jpg" /> <img width="2667" height="4000" width_o="2667" height_o="4000" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/60071566fc62599ed794b4274afba47fe0cf46a36090973008811c4ae43521de/DSC04167.jpg" data-mid="253680844" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/60071566fc62599ed794b4274afba47fe0cf46a36090973008811c4ae43521de/DSC04167.jpg" /> <img width="4000" height="2667" width_o="4000" height_o="2667" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/14eb09ebaf0ddc979934a69647b2e89a9126fcce4f07e701a0d92568afd163c7/DSC04152_2.jpg" data-mid="253680842" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/14eb09ebaf0ddc979934a69647b2e89a9126fcce4f07e701a0d92568afd163c7/DSC04152_2.jpg" /> <img width="4000" height="2667" width_o="4000" height_o="2667" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/63bc65eb55b1cb285a0407d72b7d3fbef1c2f6a5280012c4b53960b289cc7d69/DSC04196-2.jpg" data-mid="253680846" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/63bc65eb55b1cb285a0407d72b7d3fbef1c2f6a5280012c4b53960b289cc7d69/DSC04196-2.jpg" /> <img width="4000" height="2667" width_o="4000" height_o="2667" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/0026ab1d3dcfe56743d311a486e88c62f46b48fba187f1aeda4a2d50970824e1/DSC04028_3.jpg" data-mid="253680837" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/0026ab1d3dcfe56743d311a486e88c62f46b48fba187f1aeda4a2d50970824e1/DSC04028_3.jpg" /> Exhibition Text:&nbsp;Bringing together painting, sculpture, installation, performance and music, the exhibition explores the reclamation of space as an act of resistance. When people lose faith in their political power and their ability to make change, creative moments erupt outside organisational authority. In the late 1980s, against a backdrop of unemployment, financial hardship and the introduction of Poll Tax, the Acid House movement transformed warehouses, disused buildings and other overlooked spaces into sites of gathering. These temporary spaces offered a counter-culture beyond the structures that governed everyday life, creating moments in which the usual boundaries of class, gender and race could be disrupted. The government responded by criminalising such gatherings. Freed From Desire returns to the movement's belief that gathering can itself be an act of defiance, as well as an expression of joy, freedom and collective possibility. At the heart of the exhibition is the third place, a term popularised by the sociologist Ray Oldenburg to describe spaces beyond home and work that foster community and connection. Across the city, these spaces are rapidly vanishing, lost to soaring rents and cuts to civic funding. Freed From Desire considers what happens when they are gone, and how we can create them again. The exhibition itself becomes a temporary third place, shaped by the artworks and situations encountered throughout the building. Painter and multidisciplinary artist Andrew Hart has created a chill-out room informed by his relationship with music and British club culture. His paintings respond to rhythm, atmosphere and the changing energy of a room, forming an installation designed to be experienced as much as viewed. Elsewhere, cross-disciplinary design studio Kren transforms a reclaimed greenhouse structure into Shed, an inhabitable light installation that acts as both a beacon and a place to gather. Visitors are invited to enter and occupy the work, turning a familiar structure into a temporary space for collective use. Henry Coleman, whose work examines our history through buildings, space and signage, has salvaged and repurposed 1980s leisure centre lamps that draw on the infrastructure of our lost community spaces, recalling places once designed for collective use and prompting reflection on their loss. Exhibiting artists:&nbsp; Farnoush Amini MRSS, Pallas Citroen, Henry Coleman, Andrew Pierre Hart, Kren, Marcus Nelson, Eddie Peake, Barry Reigate, Hannah Rose Stewart, Jill Townsley, Annie Trevorah, SDNA.&nbsp; ︎The Bomb Factory https://marcusnelsonstudio.com/HYPER-SOFT-DOUBLE-DOWN-GROUP Wed, 25 Mar 2026 14:20:07 +0000 Marcus Nelson https://marcusnelsonstudio.com/HYPER-SOFT-DOUBLE-DOWN-GROUP hyper soft: double down Group exhibtion with Marcus Nelson, Maxime Chabal and Sarah Neumann at Klemm’s Gallery curated by Guilherme Vilhena Martins.&nbsp; Klemm’s, Berlin, Germany.&nbsp;20.03.26 - 18.04.26 <img width="6827" height="4551" width_o="6827" height_o="4551" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/d1bc0f6585ef71e180f9e19af9738e673997b0ca34cd482da379606aca7a349a/klemms-hyper-soft_-double-down-m-2.jpg" data-mid="246502798" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/d1bc0f6585ef71e180f9e19af9738e673997b0ca34cd482da379606aca7a349a/klemms-hyper-soft_-double-down-m-2.jpg" /> <img width="3046" height="3802" width_o="3046" height_o="3802" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/977060070b97c5db6326e0731b9e60f9cf1a2db76dee616616f443dd200df82c/muzzle-floor-copy.jpg" data-mid="246502694" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/977060070b97c5db6326e0731b9e60f9cf1a2db76dee616616f443dd200df82c/muzzle-floor-copy.jpg" /> <img width="7008" height="4672" width_o="7008" height_o="4672" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/aef48923b91786418ed44530f44931213dbd7d7fed514cba148a0eff99883b39/klemms-hyper-soft_-double-down-m-5.jpg" data-mid="246502795" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/aef48923b91786418ed44530f44931213dbd7d7fed514cba148a0eff99883b39/klemms-hyper-soft_-double-down-m-5.jpg" /> <img width="4262" height="2841" width_o="4262" height_o="2841" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/68edbf6134ad84daae69102a16d99402d851d2387fd049bc317146aab3c5899c/klemms-hyper-soft_-double-down-m-9.jpg" data-mid="246502794" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/68edbf6134ad84daae69102a16d99402d851d2387fd049bc317146aab3c5899c/klemms-hyper-soft_-double-down-m-9.jpg" /> <img width="6155" height="4103" width_o="6155" height_o="4103" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/7cc722edf39a9c63b761745a02bd7b4eaa800d2905524ce7d906b4e7f55ca1c1/klemms-hyper-soft_-double-down-m-14.jpg" data-mid="246502792" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/7cc722edf39a9c63b761745a02bd7b4eaa800d2905524ce7d906b4e7f55ca1c1/klemms-hyper-soft_-double-down-m-14.jpg" /> <img width="6005" height="4003" width_o="6005" height_o="4003" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/85e30917076b57e546daf88b0a49e6bbed7b947c954c3f6154e12f3c867aab15/klemms-hyper-soft_-double-down-m-16.jpg" data-mid="246502791" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/85e30917076b57e546daf88b0a49e6bbed7b947c954c3f6154e12f3c867aab15/klemms-hyper-soft_-double-down-m-16.jpg" /> <img width="6093" height="4062" width_o="6093" height_o="4062" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/e1d05a157d2dee6952c81c0d06f1ea141b0c97fa5d80c87cf55b4b9043997296/klemms-hyper-soft_-double-down-m-18.jpg" data-mid="246502790" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/e1d05a157d2dee6952c81c0d06f1ea141b0c97fa5d80c87cf55b4b9043997296/klemms-hyper-soft_-double-down-m-18.jpg" /> <img width="6400" height="4267" width_o="6400" height_o="4267" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/7d5364c139615cd26917b977f02150158b0935734350019598f10ef8ac4f6cd1/klemms-hyper-soft_-double-down-m-10.jpg" data-mid="246502793" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/7d5364c139615cd26917b977f02150158b0935734350019598f10ef8ac4f6cd1/klemms-hyper-soft_-double-down-m-10.jpg" /> <img width="6652" height="4435" width_o="6652" height_o="4435" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/7b58a5444c0dcbb4e87e1620949194615e3bbab8b949054890b5c6f86330d064/klemms-hyper-soft_-double-down-m-4.jpg" data-mid="246502796" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/7b58a5444c0dcbb4e87e1620949194615e3bbab8b949054890b5c6f86330d064/klemms-hyper-soft_-double-down-m-4.jpg" /> Instalation views: Marcus Nelson, Maxime Chabal, Sarah Neumann,‘hyper soft: double down’ 2026,&nbsp;Klemm’s, Berlin, Germany. Images courtesy of the artist and Klemm’s. hyper-soft: double-down presents works by Maxime Chabal, Marcus Nelson, and Sarah Neumann. The exhibition, curated by Guilherme Vilhena Martins and taking place at Klemm’s Downstairs, brings together a group of works that hover at the threshold between the bodily and the architectural. Spanning drawing, installation, and painting, the exhibition unfolds as a field of tension. On one hand, the works mirror a social anxiety embodied in architectural containment and repression; on the other, they twist these conditions open, gesturing toward flight, shelter, and ambiguity, as industrial materials and formal vocabularies are seized and transformed into gestures of tenderness.Text by Guilherme Vilhena Martins ︎ Klemm’s https://marcusnelsonstudio.com/LAUGHTER-AND-FEAR-SOLO Wed, 04 Feb 2026 17:15:23 +0000 Marcus Nelson https://marcusnelsonstudio.com/LAUGHTER-AND-FEAR-SOLO LAUGHTER AND FEARResidency + Solo &nbsp; Los Angeles&nbsp; The Cabin LA01.01.26- 27.02.26 &nbsp; <img width="5504" height="5504" width_o="5504" height_o="5504" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/bab96136f9d4b72b67e1037c59e7690cb9726b4a71a67a6935249cd7ea6e196d/danny-first-2-install.jpg" data-mid="244434082" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/bab96136f9d4b72b67e1037c59e7690cb9726b4a71a67a6935249cd7ea6e196d/danny-first-2-install.jpg" /> <img width="5939" height="5939" width_o="5939" height_o="5939" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/a3576918b8e80b4c3adc4f292355544b6bc82be2bc5c45f4040680e3fe203fa8/danny-first-7-install.jpg" data-mid="244434089" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/a3576918b8e80b4c3adc4f292355544b6bc82be2bc5c45f4040680e3fe203fa8/danny-first-7-install.jpg" /> <img width="5702" height="5701" width_o="5702" height_o="5701" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/c66737336fe9ffb1ab1940e1f4ba1ee2914891a766dde00bed075504fc6e812f/danny-first-10-install.jpg" data-mid="244434090" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/c66737336fe9ffb1ab1940e1f4ba1ee2914891a766dde00bed075504fc6e812f/danny-first-10-install.jpg" /> <img width="8256" height="5504" width_o="8256" height_o="5504" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/a86176828561168f2830fc74a7cc20c747c55d211964b2f1915f58a347674441/danny-first-1-install.jpg" data-mid="244434091" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/a86176828561168f2830fc74a7cc20c747c55d211964b2f1915f58a347674441/danny-first-1-install.jpg" /> <img width="7658" height="5436" width_o="7658" height_o="5436" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/2028cc0c711b7a442c5644b9f854ed718ddeefd44fd39199c6cd55eb49a3f704/danny-first-4-install.jpg" data-mid="244434102" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/2028cc0c711b7a442c5644b9f854ed718ddeefd44fd39199c6cd55eb49a3f704/danny-first-4-install.jpg" /> <img width="6040" height="6061" width_o="6040" height_o="6061" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/ca66254bf8f4e9cdefc67df49f3ecc7edae3125092294152edfb0470623187e3/danny-first-6-install.jpg" data-mid="244434104" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/ca66254bf8f4e9cdefc67df49f3ecc7edae3125092294152edfb0470623187e3/danny-first-6-install.jpg" /> <img width="5365" height="5365" width_o="5365" height_o="5365" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/92f46ce487551137760eab29e03d5e78262fe69b5cc695db225ed48b66d63090/danny-first-5-install.jpg" data-mid="244434103" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/92f46ce487551137760eab29e03d5e78262fe69b5cc695db225ed48b66d63090/danny-first-5-install.jpg" /> <img width="6104" height="6105" width_o="6104" height_o="6105" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/fa354fe6903859324cb824829350880d5de9faab173ffd705dd041d34a50d26a/danny-first-9-install.jpg" data-mid="244434105" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/fa354fe6903859324cb824829350880d5de9faab173ffd705dd041d34a50d26a/danny-first-9-install.jpg" /> <img width="6926" height="6925" width_o="6926" height_o="6925" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/38cfb1dcc998f54d7dea8314e0958079c6423114c106146483a083176c6474cc/danny1.jpg" data-mid="244434154" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/38cfb1dcc998f54d7dea8314e0958079c6423114c106146483a083176c6474cc/danny1.jpg" /> <img width="7167" height="7167" width_o="7167" height_o="7167" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/702eff790e4373cc1390706135d7ff15590e1d7886bda163532e51a8300188fb/danny2.jpg" data-mid="244434157" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/702eff790e4373cc1390706135d7ff15590e1d7886bda163532e51a8300188fb/danny2.jpg" /> <img width="7025" height="7025" width_o="7025" height_o="7025" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/437293f9caf9a7ea930eb15036273490ed375b23dffa2efeb6a9cc0f83bde597/danny7.jpg" data-mid="244434164" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/437293f9caf9a7ea930eb15036273490ed375b23dffa2efeb6a9cc0f83bde597/danny7.jpg" /> <img width="6807" height="6807" width_o="6807" height_o="6807" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/83ab1d7c20522f1830cdadfac68d228180880fd2e5cc4ee2cf3a6c5cb69ebb92/danny3.jpg" data-mid="244434158" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/83ab1d7c20522f1830cdadfac68d228180880fd2e5cc4ee2cf3a6c5cb69ebb92/danny3.jpg" /> <img width="7126" height="7126" width_o="7126" height_o="7126" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/e2b54a9e7fb6fca5c4276de4c1820d8791b2c285ab8d49a936f72d07db999583/danny4.jpg" data-mid="244434161" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/e2b54a9e7fb6fca5c4276de4c1820d8791b2c285ab8d49a936f72d07db999583/danny4.jpg" /> <img width="7229" height="7229" width_o="7229" height_o="7229" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/d75a738f7a858efe7b62cba811179479b03192b7779dc8565e3706f1fbfbae71/danny6.jpg" data-mid="244434163" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/d75a738f7a858efe7b62cba811179479b03192b7779dc8565e3706f1fbfbae71/danny6.jpg" /> Instalation views: Marcus Nelson, ‘Laughter and Fear’, 2026, The Cabin, Los Angeles. When does a scream of pleasure mutate into a cry of pain? When does a laugh produce tears? This body of work uses facial expression as a way to explore emotional landscapes, questioning the subtle and shifting nature of our daily psychology and the emotions we choose to mask. ︎ The Cabin LA https://marcusnelsonstudio.com/POLYPHONIC-VIEWS-GROUP Tue, 07 Oct 2025 08:21:51 +0000 Marcus Nelson https://marcusnelsonstudio.com/POLYPHONIC-VIEWS-GROUP POLYPHONIC VIEWS Group Show&nbsp; Part of Spatial Festival &amp; Berlin Art Week&nbsp; CURATED BY PASSAGE&nbsp; The Funkhaus, Berlin&nbsp;12.09.25 - 05.10.25 &nbsp; <img width="3877" height="4846" width_o="3877" height_o="4846" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/540ef36aef8352050d2111e6fa66d5597f0361fbd1b50b6f1ac9fddcadca38bf/Contained-I-II-composite-V--202125--210-x-110-each-panel--side-view.jpg" data-mid="239099972" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/540ef36aef8352050d2111e6fa66d5597f0361fbd1b50b6f1ac9fddcadca38bf/Contained-I-II-composite-V--202125--210-x-110-each-panel--side-view.jpg" /> <img width="4000" height="5000" width_o="4000" height_o="5000" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/f8c3ad87dd36f706275e63d112dfb263c70af1acf5c53410089150ebb0a2787c/Self-Portrat-202125--2025-detail3.jpg" data-mid="239100005" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/f8c3ad87dd36f706275e63d112dfb263c70af1acf5c53410089150ebb0a2787c/Self-Portrat-202125--2025-detail3.jpg" /> <img width="4000" height="5000" width_o="4000" height_o="5000" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/e585cad4db9f449c0c87165d3f45ed94ba2d2ed735d3804463a9cce02824467f/Contained-I-II-composite-V--202125--210-x-110-each-panel--front-view.jpg" data-mid="239100002" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/e585cad4db9f449c0c87165d3f45ed94ba2d2ed735d3804463a9cce02824467f/Contained-I-II-composite-V--202125--210-x-110-each-panel--front-view.jpg" /> <img width="4000" height="6000" width_o="4000" height_o="6000" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/e82a5c5773dfd371d36623fb12f49333d21b19b51245d5d1ac51390a59975b72/Contained-I-II-composite-V--202125--210-x-110-each-panel--detal.jpg" data-mid="239100010" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/e82a5c5773dfd371d36623fb12f49333d21b19b51245d5d1ac51390a59975b72/Contained-I-II-composite-V--202125--210-x-110-each-panel--detal.jpg" /> <img width="4000" height="6000" width_o="4000" height_o="6000" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/36aa2a2767bd598fee4e044c581d36b69de2fefdf0e2aec60e3f939e0799384f/Contained-I-II-composite-V--202125--210-x-110-each-panel--detail6.jpg" data-mid="239100007" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/36aa2a2767bd598fee4e044c581d36b69de2fefdf0e2aec60e3f939e0799384f/Contained-I-II-composite-V--202125--210-x-110-each-panel--detail6.jpg" /> Instalation views: Marcus Nelson, Contained I+II (Composite V), 2021-25,found security doors, paper, photographic print, newspaper, 210 x 110 cm, The Funkhaus,Berlin. This work presents a collection of drawings, notes, timesheets, and reference photography from Marcus Nelson’s studio archive from 2021–25. Sealed beneath the reinforced glass of two security doors – found on the streets of Berlin – Contained (I,II),&nbsp;documents the process of making, by preserving the ephemera generated from a restless mind. Moments of violence, vulnerability, physical performance and emotional release appear and disappear under the visual noise of its entirety, all while trapped within the negative space of the object’s facade. In this work, Nelson asks how certain urban structures might support or inhibit our sense of self and what we choose to present to the external world. <img width="3785" height="5299" width_o="3785" height_o="5299" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/cd9bd80056effd098b736441937230fd3925929f4886f3a34974df6be8bd4fab/wall-1.jpg" data-mid="239100136" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/cd9bd80056effd098b736441937230fd3925929f4886f3a34974df6be8bd4fab/wall-1.jpg" /> <img width="3811" height="5336" width_o="3811" height_o="5336" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/b593f09eaae7aca282a49954d264ad19a3836f561b52650dfe25f3a32d25acfa/wall-2.jpg" data-mid="239100134" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/b593f09eaae7aca282a49954d264ad19a3836f561b52650dfe25f3a32d25acfa/wall-2.jpg" /> Instalation views: Marcus Nelson, Maskenfreiheit, 2025, oil on canvas, site sspecific installation,The Funkhaus, Berlin.Physically integrated within the walls of the Funkhaus, Berlin, Maskenfreiheit&nbsp;is a site-specific installation exploring the emotional disguises we wear in our daily lives to conform to societal expectations. Laughter is often a persona we present to the exterior world in order to fit in, masking our true feelings. Specifically made to fit within the buildings stark interior, the figures rendered in the diptych become part of the structure that contains them, exploring how urban structures and societal conformities frame and fragment our true self: our real emotions. <img width="3636" height="4545" width_o="3636" height_o="4545" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/cd5f5a17d2e7b8f3670250b253d32470f1ea56069f64369599158f123674a813/Paranoid-Architecture--2024--found-door--oil-on-canvas--200-x-100cm-front-view.jpg" data-mid="239100131" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/cd5f5a17d2e7b8f3670250b253d32470f1ea56069f64369599158f123674a813/Paranoid-Architecture--2024--found-door--oil-on-canvas--200-x-100cm-front-view.jpg" /> <img width="3920" height="4900" width_o="3920" height_o="4900" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/efa2e3899449726316b83019afeb8db10d6fe0dd533747f2714168304b4e10ac/Paranoid-Architecture--2024--found-door--oil-on-canvas--200-x-100cm-side-view.jpg" data-mid="239100078" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/efa2e3899449726316b83019afeb8db10d6fe0dd533747f2714168304b4e10ac/Paranoid-Architecture--2024--found-door--oil-on-canvas--200-x-100cm-side-view.jpg" /> Instalation views: Marcus Nelson, Paranoid Architecture (Composite I), 2024,found door, found door, oil on canvas, 200 x 100cm, The Funkhaus, Berlin. Chronicling the residue of the streets, by traversing his local area, Nelson uncovers objects that become documents of his direct environment and his existence within it. Framed within the predetermined form a metallic door, Paranoid Architecture, unites ideas of the physical body with the mechanical; questioning our true sense of autonomy in an environment bound and ordered by structural interventions. Exhibition views: <img width="3000" height="2002" width_o="3000" height_o="2002" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/d1e1b1459b50f77ee60f42b9384700c3152eb2fac105d9d3fee0de81d085bb6d/GS_3819.jpg" data-mid="239100679" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/d1e1b1459b50f77ee60f42b9384700c3152eb2fac105d9d3fee0de81d085bb6d/GS_3819.jpg" /> <img width="3000" height="2400" width_o="3000" height_o="2400" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/50a327de78a98120b79fba8dbe2f2f634f60b23b81bf3b8c99108f9a0221a64d/GS_3558.jpg" data-mid="239100684" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/50a327de78a98120b79fba8dbe2f2f634f60b23b81bf3b8c99108f9a0221a64d/GS_3558.jpg" /> <img width="3000" height="2400" width_o="3000" height_o="2400" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/08bb626e8fabcdc5093658bb96ed3fdde3d12065f33fa5ba99ae98b1996a2ff8/GS_3117.jpg" data-mid="239100674" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/08bb626e8fabcdc5093658bb96ed3fdde3d12065f33fa5ba99ae98b1996a2ff8/GS_3117.jpg" /> <img width="3000" height="2400" width_o="3000" height_o="2400" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/18bdf31d95c3244bae65bcea0b3f519a49f700984f195b58702daa0b43fa6694/GS_3398-1.jpg" data-mid="239100683" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/18bdf31d95c3244bae65bcea0b3f519a49f700984f195b58702daa0b43fa6694/GS_3398-1.jpg" /> <img width="2000" height="2500" width_o="2000" height_o="2500" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/5ae04203372b16b67191aea83f7b7fa7dcd89a58326a0c218f52df0d88303481/GS_3058.jpg" data-mid="239100675" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/5ae04203372b16b67191aea83f7b7fa7dcd89a58326a0c218f52df0d88303481/GS_3058.jpg" /> <img width="3000" height="2002" width_o="3000" height_o="2002" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/040c993ca1995a4a8c1bc497641bc4a3a19a45d3713dbd995e3a12a55d6e754d/GS_3005.jpg" data-mid="239100677" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/040c993ca1995a4a8c1bc497641bc4a3a19a45d3713dbd995e3a12a55d6e754d/GS_3005.jpg" /> <img width="2400" height="3000" width_o="2400" height_o="3000" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/b3db656f31f465426a259580d25bb8177f8acae4f855d1d8337f88f362e1b98b/GS_3671.jpg" data-mid="239100678" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/b3db656f31f465426a259580d25bb8177f8acae4f855d1d8337f88f362e1b98b/GS_3671.jpg" /> <img width="2400" height="3000" width_o="2400" height_o="3000" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/dadabeaf8f131a7efe29f65e16af8966b96833834b885cda2bc242c3e4b19afc/GS_3881.jpg" data-mid="239100682" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/dadabeaf8f131a7efe29f65e16af8966b96833834b885cda2bc242c3e4b19afc/GS_3881.jpg" /> <img width="3000" height="1947" width_o="3000" height_o="1947" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/f908d2d325f168b8240a40ad8540f6608e085a7028f83f46bdc211512acfa645/GS_3231.jpg" data-mid="239100681" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/f908d2d325f168b8240a40ad8540f6608e085a7028f83f46bdc211512acfa645/GS_3231.jpg" /> <img width="2400" height="3000" width_o="2400" height_o="3000" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/b6cb18beff73d9c95f34f6c6816a1493da83a05ce9e21b522ed832779af2b5b5/GS_2964.jpg" data-mid="239100676" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/b6cb18beff73d9c95f34f6c6816a1493da83a05ce9e21b522ed832779af2b5b5/GS_2964.jpg" /> <img width="2400" height="3000" width_o="2400" height_o="3000" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/16f911bed3fa40b7937d28b9b35ec9d291c0621c645c96bbe1e69cc423e07b9d/GS_3762.jpg" data-mid="239100755" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/16f911bed3fa40b7937d28b9b35ec9d291c0621c645c96bbe1e69cc423e07b9d/GS_3762.jpg" /> <img width="3000" height="2002" width_o="3000" height_o="2002" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/b46348caded330408719730c17500f5bd67aec0cd27067c7e17db8087ce93f1f/GS_3465.jpg" data-mid="239100685" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/b46348caded330408719730c17500f5bd67aec0cd27067c7e17db8087ce93f1f/GS_3465.jpg" /> Exhibition text:&nbsp; Polyphonic Views, explores the abstract potential of performance in the absence of a physical act. The exhibition brings together 36 artists, each presented through a unique installation, forming a parcours of immersive encounters across the brutalist expanse of the Shedhalle at Funkhaus Berlin. The exhibition is part of this year’s Spatial Festival, a pioneering celebration of the Spatial Arts that treats space itself as a medium, using sound as the gateway to immersive, collective experience, with performances, installations, and technologies that dissolve the boundaries between audience and artwork. Juxtaposing the productions of Spatial, each work presented in ›Polyphonic Views‹ serves as residue, vessel, or echo, whether bearing the physical imprint of a past gesture, implicating the viewer into an interpretive encounter, or acting out its own subtle choreography through substance and form. Together, they compose a landscape where performance is everywhere and nowhere, distributed across materials, minds, and moments, reevaluating what it means to witness and to be present. The exhibition gives form to a layered, resonant experience that reflects the many voices of contemporary practice. It runs for three weeks, accompanied by a series of live events and activations in collaboration with Monom, in a space where echoes of the past meet the pulse of the future.Exhibiting artists:&nbsp; Genesis P-Orridge, Liang Fu, Ross Alexander Payne, Nik Nowak, Felix Kiessling, Roberto Rivadeneira Hermann Nitsch, James Leyland Kirby, Richie Culver, Kieran Leach, Olaf Metzel, Allen Golder Carpenter, Joshua Tarelle, Reid Mauricio, Alejo, Lukas Heerich, Mathis Altmann, Irving Ramó, Anastasia Shivrina, Julian Charrière, Marcus Nelson, Amrita Dhillon, Cornel Brudascu, Anne de Vries, Christian Jankowski, Lea Bouton Rafa Silvares, Tobias Spichtig, Philip McHugh Johannes Seluga, Ivan Seal, Ju Young Kim, Anna Uddenberg, Jean-Baptiste Durand, Emmanuel Massillon, Alexei Cerrone, Julius von Bismarck, Gozié Ojini, Hannah Rose Stewart, Anide. ︎&nbsp; Passage https://marcusnelsonstudio.com/WEIGHT-DUO Thu, 10 Apr 2025 07:24:02 +0000 Marcus Nelson https://marcusnelsonstudio.com/WEIGHT-DUO WEIGHT&nbsp; Duo exhibition with Magnus Westwell, curated by Brooke Wilson.&nbsp; Number 1 Main Road, Berlin, Germany.&nbsp;21.03.25 - 13.04.25 <img width="7560" height="5040" width_o="7560" height_o="5040" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/13685073fe6e54d408275fb6b727cbaee15d55093a0ea31f503482135b17ed5e/2025-03-29_Forthcoming_Installationview_1-Final.jpg" data-mid="229582395" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/13685073fe6e54d408275fb6b727cbaee15d55093a0ea31f503482135b17ed5e/2025-03-29_Forthcoming_Installationview_1-Final.jpg" /> <img width="7552" height="5035" width_o="7552" height_o="5035" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/2708ef05efb3bb11dd63e641686e7481a851d88bed7c855e8b257a08fc9b25b0/2025-03-29_Forthcoming_Installationview_5-Final_V2.jpg" data-mid="229582397" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/2708ef05efb3bb11dd63e641686e7481a851d88bed7c855e8b257a08fc9b25b0/2025-03-29_Forthcoming_Installationview_5-Final_V2.jpg" /> <img width="7543" height="5029" width_o="7543" height_o="5029" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/e04f82c76d7fbeb38ff1c8526f290936c826e186044eac43732f9cd94905360b/2025-03-29_Forthcoming_Installationview_6-Final.jpg" data-mid="229582432" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/e04f82c76d7fbeb38ff1c8526f290936c826e186044eac43732f9cd94905360b/2025-03-29_Forthcoming_Installationview_6-Final.jpg" /> <img width="4905" height="7357" width_o="4905" height_o="7357" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/8ac4dbf2331dfae4bfed51671d24da453352868cca40343d1aac04636a110ba7/2025-03-29_Forthcoming_Installationview_8-Final.jpg" data-mid="229582410" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/8ac4dbf2331dfae4bfed51671d24da453352868cca40343d1aac04636a110ba7/2025-03-29_Forthcoming_Installationview_8-Final.jpg" /> <img width="4550" height="6825" width_o="4550" height_o="6825" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/28c48346c86945b3359b6a6b8842b46612df2eae8fc9018585605c3c85598b17/2025-03-29_Forthcoming_Installationview_4-Final.jpg" data-mid="229582411" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/28c48346c86945b3359b6a6b8842b46612df2eae8fc9018585605c3c85598b17/2025-03-29_Forthcoming_Installationview_4-Final.jpg" /> <img width="4235" height="6352" width_o="4235" height_o="6352" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/ac3d98b1d1098a21be9be0790b0c743453808d297318a65a59ba27b1dda85a22/2025-03-29_Forthcoming_Installationview_3-Final.jpg" data-mid="229582409" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/ac3d98b1d1098a21be9be0790b0c743453808d297318a65a59ba27b1dda85a22/2025-03-29_Forthcoming_Installationview_3-Final.jpg" /> <img width="7553" height="5035" width_o="7553" height_o="5035" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/43c79c9ccfd28fe1e8c770e293f9ff6cd18229f1f6b2c2f177493e61fad9808a/2025-03-29_Forthcoming_Installationview_2-Final.jpg" data-mid="229582405" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/43c79c9ccfd28fe1e8c770e293f9ff6cd18229f1f6b2c2f177493e61fad9808a/2025-03-29_Forthcoming_Installationview_2-Final.jpg" /> <img width="7308" height="4872" width_o="7308" height_o="4872" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/589fe9fa792a99705b23dfc0b9ac7646d0eaf2968a2e2cfe02376b2508ee0e15/2025-03-29_Forthcoming_Installationview_7-Final.jpg" data-mid="229582408" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/589fe9fa792a99705b23dfc0b9ac7646d0eaf2968a2e2cfe02376b2508ee0e15/2025-03-29_Forthcoming_Installationview_7-Final.jpg" /> Instalation views: Marcus Nelson and Magnus Westwell,&nbsp;WEIGHT, 2025,&nbsp;Number 1 Main Road, Berlin, Germany. In an exchange of artistic vocabularies, ‘WEIGHT’ brings together a new suite of paintings by Marcus Nelson and a debut film and sound piece by Magnus Westwell. Uniting their independent vernaculars of dance and painting, a dialogue of diverse artistic experience coalesces in a singular installation in which representations of the self come to multiply. Rhythmic movement and repetitive forms construct the multifaceted landscape in which this installation sits. Percolating amongst the dual mediums, the individual becomes the plural in a group submerged by hypnotic influence. Forming a continuous wave of movement, free-flowing corporeal forms expand and pulsate, dissolving into one unified organism, blurring the boundaries between paint and moving image. This dissolvement illustrates the body's duality as both a personal site of expression and a conduit for shared experience and emotion. In Westwell and Nelson’s work, the body becomes a medium for nonverbal communication, translating complex internal states into tangible movement. For Westwell, absence and liminality are embodied in visceral crowd choreography and regenerative motion, where individual and collective tensions collide. And Then Gone (2025) evokes a perpetual flux of existence - fractured, entwined, and endlessly looping. Westwell’s ensemble of dancers surge through shifting synchronies, their bodies caught between order and unraveling, precision and abandon. In this, the unconscious mind surfaces, revealing a delicate tension between autonomy and belonging, fragility and force. The score, resonating throughout the gallery, holds stillness and weight in balance, unfolding in layers of orchestral ambience and fragmented decay. This work is a pivotal moment in Westwell’s practice, born from an ongoing dialogue between movement and sound, where choreography and composition merge and evolve - reflecting cycles of memory, time, and transcendence within an ephemeral, fleeting landscape. Reflecting these ideas, Nelson’s large-scale paintings – Crowd (2025) – disrupt the body and its subsequent movement into rhythmic bars, breaking the format of the composition into smaller panels, which can be rearranged into new sequences by the audience. By inviting the spectator to become an active part of the work, Nelson opens a dialogue around autonomous movement and the authoritative modes external influence can have over our psyche, referencing crowd dynamics. Reinforcing this, his loose application of paint represents the psychological dissolution of the self: figures, no longer distinct or isolated, fall into one another, reflecting how individual identity can become blurred amongst collective forces. In a direct exploration of performance, the compositional arrangements in Nelson’s quadriptych are inspired by Westwell’s choreography. Reinterpreting the varying shapes produced by the dancers, Nelson uses his own body as a medium to explore ideas of self-representation, offering a fluid and non-linear way to communicate internal experiences, emotions, and perceptions of identity. Loops of movement, multiplicity and sound echo throughout this exhibition, changing hands and shifting between artist, audience, dancer and painter. Set within a dark void, both artists's shared interest in theatrical scenery is reinforced by their mutual treatment of light. With all figures emerging from the darkness, limbs are illuminated by subtle lustres and cast shadows amongst the dense figurative landscape, where the audience, too, becomes part of the crowd.Text by Brooke Wilson ︎ Number 1 Main Road&nbsp; https://marcusnelsonstudio.com/PARANOID-ARCHITECTURE-COMPOSITE Sun, 01 Dec 2024 14:03:55 +0000 Marcus Nelson https://marcusnelsonstudio.com/PARANOID-ARCHITECTURE-COMPOSITE PARANOID ARCHITECTURE (COMPOSITE I)&nbsp; Installation view&nbsp; &nbsp; <img width="5118" height="5118" width_o="5118" height_o="5118" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/eefc9916343effc2104272511d02c65414037781f094f3b76c4a4637fd31ec2e/CombineIdetail.jpg" data-mid="222697966" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/eefc9916343effc2104272511d02c65414037781f094f3b76c4a4637fd31ec2e/CombineIdetail.jpg" /> <img width="5118" height="5118" width_o="5118" height_o="5118" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/802fc845a864e4aa42be0bbb7f0d0b9d9fab86d35c0a710cba8fae988c84cb9a/CombineI.jpg" data-mid="222697963" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/802fc845a864e4aa42be0bbb7f0d0b9d9fab86d35c0a710cba8fae988c84cb9a/CombineI.jpg" /> <img width="5118" height="5118" width_o="5118" height_o="5118" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/91c00c83de8d2841ba95ce8ef1174fe8e25a970683cf233b1483608c99250787/CombineIdetail1.jpg" data-mid="222697967" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/91c00c83de8d2841ba95ce8ef1174fe8e25a970683cf233b1483608c99250787/CombineIdetail1.jpg" /> Instalation views: Marcus Nelson,Paranoid Architecture (composite I),2024,found metallic door, oil on canvas, 200 x 100 cm. This work is part of an ongoing series by Nelson, incorporating found objects discovered during walks throughout Berlin. By regularly traversing his local area, Nelson uncovers neglected items that become both a documentation of the urban environment and of his existence within it. These objects transform into representations of the stage on which urban life unfolds, and of the props that people use in their daily lives. Doors, in particular, serve as portals between spaces, requiring a physical interaction to pass through. In this way, the door reflects the boundary between the real world and the ephemeral world inhabited by Nelson’s painted figures. This particular door has a reflective surface that mirror the viewer’s movements and interactions as they observe the work; in this way, the viewer becomes the performer.This work was exhibited as part of ‘Polyphonic Views’ at The Funkhaus Berlin in 2025. https://marcusnelsonstudio.com/FOOLS-ARE-EVERYWHERE-INSTALLATION Tue, 13 Aug 2024 14:37:44 +0000 Marcus Nelson https://marcusnelsonstudio.com/FOOLS-ARE-EVERYWHERE-INSTALLATION FOOLS ARE EVERYWHERE Public Installation&nbsp; Passage, Hermannplatz U-bahn Station, Berlin06.08 - 06.09.24 &nbsp; <img width="8112" height="5408" width_o="8112" height_o="5408" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/10334bb2eeeafbea4b1b57b356a2f18909e663ab41c4ed4b3d4bbb7df13b2ad2/Marcus_Installation_Passage_PaulaGVidal_120824_010.jpg" data-mid="216292293" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/10334bb2eeeafbea4b1b57b356a2f18909e663ab41c4ed4b3d4bbb7df13b2ad2/Marcus_Installation_Passage_PaulaGVidal_120824_010.jpg" /> <img width="8256" height="5504" width_o="8256" height_o="5504" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/8c180e3396370b493b62cdcd1a9c19f141b983c598aea277927ba1f95d356e3d/Marcus_Installation_Passage_PaulaGVidal_120824_004.jpg" data-mid="216292448" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/8c180e3396370b493b62cdcd1a9c19f141b983c598aea277927ba1f95d356e3d/Marcus_Installation_Passage_PaulaGVidal_120824_004.jpg" /> <img width="8072" height="5381" width_o="8072" height_o="5381" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/615598f11404b4032f1303e00a29abf506608fa4fa1d9a8fea4dfddc6a5551e9/Marcus_Installation_Passage_PaulaGVidal_120824_013.jpg" data-mid="216292450" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/615598f11404b4032f1303e00a29abf506608fa4fa1d9a8fea4dfddc6a5551e9/Marcus_Installation_Passage_PaulaGVidal_120824_013.jpg" /> <img width="5475" height="8212" width_o="5475" height_o="8212" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/27b24c52c23084f7f8c7ab638d69b47b7e2f38f300b5be17eaeaa40a71ce71ec/Marcus_Installation_Passage_PaulaGVidal_120824_009.jpg" data-mid="216292452" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/27b24c52c23084f7f8c7ab638d69b47b7e2f38f300b5be17eaeaa40a71ce71ec/Marcus_Installation_Passage_PaulaGVidal_120824_009.jpg" /> <img width="5463" height="8194" width_o="5463" height_o="8194" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/8de3a952b03a4ab2377cb127c944de0d5005af09783a0475e9c0ca22d41297e1/Marcus_Installation_Passage_PaulaGVidal_120824_008.jpg" data-mid="216292451" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/8de3a952b03a4ab2377cb127c944de0d5005af09783a0475e9c0ca22d41297e1/Marcus_Installation_Passage_PaulaGVidal_120824_008.jpg" /> <img width="8256" height="5504" width_o="8256" height_o="5504" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/8e173a1f3c5052006caca5244c45956a611f2791fe9b0334038b24ab63f7dbf1/Marcus_Installation_Passage_PaulaGVidal_120824_011.jpg" data-mid="216292449" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/8e173a1f3c5052006caca5244c45956a611f2791fe9b0334038b24ab63f7dbf1/Marcus_Installation_Passage_PaulaGVidal_120824_011.jpg" /> <img width="8256" height="5504" width_o="8256" height_o="5504" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/8c180e3396370b493b62cdcd1a9c19f141b983c598aea277927ba1f95d356e3d/Marcus_Installation_Passage_PaulaGVidal_120824_004.jpg" data-mid="216292448" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/8c180e3396370b493b62cdcd1a9c19f141b983c598aea277927ba1f95d356e3d/Marcus_Installation_Passage_PaulaGVidal_120824_004.jpg" /> <img width="5338" height="8007" width_o="5338" height_o="8007" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/b57542854901247396b5288ad5c9bffeb0bc4195d3594ce132ec7ca673cdd74c/Marcus_Installation_Passage_PaulaGVidal_120824_002.jpg" data-mid="216292446" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/b57542854901247396b5288ad5c9bffeb0bc4195d3594ce132ec7ca673cdd74c/Marcus_Installation_Passage_PaulaGVidal_120824_002.jpg" /> Instalation views: Marcus Nelson, Fools Are Everywhere, 2024, Passage,&nbsp;Berlin. Courtesy: the artist; photograph: Paula Vidal&nbsp; Present throughout history, the archetype of the Fool has lurked in the backgrounds of medieval courts, camouflaging itself in satirical humour. Often the only individuals who could mock high society, engaging with unconventional taboos and addressing societal issues that no other dared discuss. Fools have played significant roles in culture. Shakespeare's King Lear's Fool and Yorick from Hamlet offered wisdom masked in humor, while German folklore's Till Eulenspiegel and Nasreddin Hodja from the Middle East exposed hypocrisy through their pranks. In Arthurian legend, Dagonet served as both jester and knight, and in Italian commedia dell'arte, characters like Punchinello and Scaramouche mocked the aristocracy. Modern representations like Charlie Chaplin’s "The Tramp," symbolises social issues through slapstick, and even mythological figures like Loki, the Norse trickster god. These Fools, whether real or fictional, use humor and satire to reflect societal truths and challenge the status quo. The desire for acceptance leads us to hide what we fear might be judged, including our true selves and inner Fool. Adopting a role provides protection by signaling a recognizable character type, allowing us to become invisible and blend in. As safety concerns increase, we suppress primal instincts and conform. Socially, this means presenting a façade or 'false self' as called by Donald Winnicott, focused on manners and protocol rather than spontaneous expression, ensuring the true self's survival. This psychological slouching is rooted in the belief that standing out is dangerous. However, the Fool defies this by openly expressing what's inside. This character serves as the starting point for Marcus Nelson's latest presentation Fools Are Everywhere, where the Fool becomes the personification of society's pretentiousness. Continuing his exploration of performance and the architecture of theatre, Nelson uses his own body as a vessel to create a series of self-portraits, embodying the Fool. By assuming this role, Nelson questions ideas of identity and self-representation, prompting viewers to reflect on their own internal landscapes - what masks do we hide behind when we leave our homes? These self-portraits become an eerie depiction of repressed emotions, spilling out into the U-Bahn station of Hermannplatz. Conforming to societal expectations often grants us the benefits of belonging, typically achieved by prioritizing others. Public places like subway stations reflect this social contract: avoid eye contact, don't interfere, and don't take up space. The work confronts the apathetic behavior that can arise from being trapped in the city’s rhythm, urban infrastructure and the interiority of one's mind. By placing the portraits against the windows of Passage's exhibition space, the glass acts as a mirror. As viewers gaze at Nelson’s Fools through the glass, they are compelled to contemplate their own reflections. This mirrored interaction blurs the line between observer and performer, leading viewers to question who the real Fool is as they engage with the characters on both sides of the glass. For Nelson, the painting process itself becomes a performative act, governed by strict time constraints and physical movement. The immediacy of this method allows only the most essential elements to be discovered through paint, reflecting the artist’s interest in capturing a specific moment in time - one charged with emotional force. The thrill of this process is set against the potential risk of failure, echoing the precarious position of the court Fool. Looking out at the passersby, Nelson’s Fools perform, behind the glass, on their canvas-stage, drawing viewers into their darkness and awaiting a reaction.︎ Passage&nbsp;︎Art Plugged Interview&nbsp;