MARKUS AMM

Markus Amm’s creative approach perfectly reflects his philosophy as someone who pursues balance between the random and the intuitive. His methods involve repeatedly applying a personally mixed oil paint blend to a canvas that has been hardened with gesso. Once a layer has been painted on, he waits two to three weeks and adds another layer through brushwork or sanding of the surface. As the layers accumulate and dry, the exposure to the light and the interacting concentrations and ingredients of the paints are reflected in the surface, adding an element of contingency to the work. The artist has referred to this approach as a ‘tennis game,’ with similarities to the chemical developing process used in analog photography.

Amm’s approach recalls a kind of alchemical process, where the element of ‘time’ is something that physically intervenes in the gradual congelation of the surface, as well as a necessary contributor to the artist’s realisation of when to complete the work. Once a layer is finished, the surface is exposed for up to several weeks in Amm’s Geneva studio, where it comes into contact with light particles, differing humidity, dust, and other factors. Just as the rings on a tree are influenced by the external environment, the changes to the exposed surface throughout the creation process influence the artist’s interpretations and his next brushstrokes. The accumulation of layers recalls the formation of strata in the earth, becoming a history of repeated performance and a medium for capturing mechanical temporality as an element of the artwork.

The final stage of the creation process is one of awaiting inspiration. Before embarking on his final surface work, Amm observes the unfinished painting for up to several years. According to the artist, this observation period is important because it is a stage not of inaction, but of contemplation and connecting himself fully to the work. Once he has observed and contemplated enough, he has his ‘Eureka moment’ and completes the work with a final layer of colour. As they appear in stillness on the gallery’s white walls, exuding mystery and delicate detail, each of his works elicits a different feeling, be it the profundity of the sky around sunset, an aurora surging through the northern night sky, the cheeks of children with red veins shining through, or the sense of remoteness conveyed by a deep abyss. In this way, they guide the viewer in sharing the artist’s experience of a singular moment.

▣ About Artist

Markus Amm (b.1967) lives and works in Geneva, Switzerland. He has held solo exhibitions at prestigious museums in Europe such as Kunsthaus Baselland (2017) and Kunstmuseum Stuttgart (2010). He has participated in group exhibitions at Fondation Thalie (2021) and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (2014), and Bundeskunsthalle Bonn (2013). His work is in the collections of Deutsche Bank, DE; the Federal Republic of Germany’s Collection of Contemporary Art, DE; Kunstmuseum Stuttgart, DE; and the Dallas Museum of Art, US.