Fabian Marti: Ape, Mom, I

Galerie Peter Kilchmann, Limmatstrasse, Zurich

They reflect the artist’s fascination not only for savage theories, but also for underground culture, music and technological debates. He shows us the world seen through his eyes and portrays his closest circle of friends. Appreciated for his photographic work, he is displaying for the first time a series of sculptures within the exhibition Ape, Mom, I.

 

The title of the exhibition originates in the artist’s nocturnal reflection about evolution theory, which concludes with the thought that mothers are in an evolutionary point closer to apes than us ourself. Ironically enough, in this case this statement is not directed against his own mother, but against the artist himself. The new series of sculptures emerges from this chain of thoughts. It consists of a group of ape skulls which are made of burnt clay. In this context the ape is to be seen as a stylized counterpart of the civilized man and is taking over the role of a „memento mori“ and also of an alienated opposite creature.The letter “F“ which he writes on the ape skulls, could be a reference to his name or might well be understood as „F“ for “father“.

 

The new photographs respond in their own ways to the title of the exhibition. The painting Sword shows the profile of a naked woman. She stretches her arms upwards and with both hands holds a sword which is directed downwards. Along a vertical line, a single reflection doubles the image of the woman. This mirrored situtation makes you uncertain which image could be the real figure and which is its phantom. The swords are crossed. As a rhombic light focus arises in the centre, the point of the sword is directed towards the heart of the woman opposite. The symbolism of the painting reminds us of a coat of arms which represents a feat such as that of Joan of Arc and therefore points towards a death sentence, a suicide or maybe an erotic fantasy.

 

In his photographs, as well as in others of his works, Fabian Marti uses the same techniques: the artist hardly ever uses digital media, but works with analogue photography and with a scanner. The application of these media and particularly the darkening black effect of the opened scanner emphasise the materiality of the photography with dust spots. In some of the works Marti uses the scanner directly as a camera by placing the objects to be portayed directly on the surface of the scanner. For Fabian Marti the selection procedure of the media is a discipline of its own, which always aims at creating tension between provocation.