Photo: Marcus Jansen at his studios in South Bronx, New York 2021
STATEMENTS
“The recent faceless works that I’ve been investigating since 2012, have been a continues exploration of anonymity and power but this time depart from last years more extroverted works to what now appear as psychological and more introverted with a focus on inner self, mood and feelings. The results are spirits like self portraits.”
“All great painting starts with destruction and then reconstruction of things familiar or maybe not so familiar emotions. That’s why for me, Painting has always been the most intimate act of war.”
"I felt the strong need for a reexamination of what paintings should look like in the century, given the global changes and the interference of technology. Landscapes are no longer pretty or realistic, and political leaders are now transparent. I wanted to create paintings that projected imminency and transparency, ones that pose questions rather than project power and ones that are a more reflective."
"Truth becomes a radical act in any repressive society in the same way a good painting must be radical enough to be heard, to be felt or to achieve any new consensus.”
“I never felt realism as my reality. My paintings reflect how I feel about reality and try to be as unconformed as possible.”
“In many museums you can walk through and see European colonialists depicted on a pedestal in high regard. Next next to them are usually classical landscape paintings that have historically been used to project visual power. In my paintings however, the colonialists are stripped of power and the landscapes are often areas of mystery, questions and conflict.”
"Truth is important to speak. But unless truth is delivered through a universal language, it can often be useless. Art gives us the opportunity to be universal.”
“My Paintings are not made to be explained or articulated, they are made to surprise, challenge, stimulate, feel and be experienced.”
“Art isn’t here to be understood or explained. Good art is never understood and can’t be rationally explained. In return it expands our understanding of the things we are not aware of and allows us to grow in imagination.”
“My paintings are not here to dictate, but instead offer a critical analysis in particular into the American cultural landscape in the early part of the 21st century.”
Marcus Jansen