2017
“The American myth needs to be reexamined in the twenty-first century, even rewritten. One of the most important contributions in this regard is being produced by the American Marcus Jansen. With Caribbean and German roots, he is a painter through and through, a painting diagnostician with a gaze as comprehensive as it is incisive. He radically disposes of the early American myth of undeviating progress. His results are disconcerting, and they can be frightening.”
- Prof Dr Manfred Schneckenburger. Documenta Kassel curator 1977/87.
2026
ORIGINAL LINOCUTS ON PAPER
THE RESISTANCE PROPAGANDA SERIES
Original works on paper.
A design is cut into the linoleum block with sharp tools (gouges, knives); areas carved away will remain white (or the paper color), while raised, uncarved parts hold the acrylics and hand drawn by artist.
DECOLONIZE KKK SERIES
Within the broader field of contemporary art, Jansen’s new hand drawn drawings on linocuts resist commodified spectacle by embracing austerity and confrontation. While his paintings often command attention through scale and color, the linocuts demand closer, more deliberate engagement.
Subject of Decolonization. One of the KKK’s main objectives was to suppress Black political participation. African American men gained the right to vote through the Fifteenth Amendment, and many began participating in elections and local government. The KKK responded by using threats, harassment, and violence to discourage Black citizens from registering to vote or going to the polls. These actions were intended to maintain white control over Southern politics and prevent Reconstruction governments from succeeding.
In addition to voter suppression, the KKK worked to undermine Black citizenship more broadly. The group targeted Black leaders, educators, and anyone who supported racial equality, including white Republicans. By creating an atmosphere of fear, the KKK attempted to force African Americans back into a position of social and economic dependence, despite their legal freedom. This resistance slowed progress toward equality and weakened the enforcement of civil rights laws in many areas.
Like these predecessors, Jansen employs the linocut medium not as a vehicle for aesthetic refinement but as an instrument of emotional intensity and social critique. The aggressive carving, jagged contours, and stark contrasts in his prints recall the Expressionists’ rejection of naturalism in favor of a raw, subjective visual language capable of conveying psychological and political urgency.
