Marc Schmitz

Life and education

Marc Schmitz studied philosophy at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich and at the Free University of Berlin, Germany and multimedia at the Media Academy in Berlin..

Work

In his artistic practice, Marc Schmitz is mostly interested in the openness of space. He uses a variety of media and materials (painting, installation, video).

On the occasion of the Busan Biennial in South Korea (2004), Schmitz developed a walk-in sculpture that allowed for a new and unusual experience of space within a vibrant environment. He received support from institutions including the Goethe Institute, the Art Council Korea and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. Among other awards, he has received the first prize for Art For Expo 2000 World Expo in Hanover, Germany, the special prize of the jury at the 10th Cairo Biennial and the Turgut Pura Art Prize at the Museum of Sculpture Izmir 2012. In 2006, Marc Schmitz initiated the Land Art Biennial in Mongolia, Land Art Mongolia LAM 360° and serves as artistic director since 2010.

Artist statement

My recent projects have focused on fnding and interpreting unclaimed or contested public space(s), and on reading the importance of the spatial relationship to both personal and shared- cultural memory. The stories told in those contested spaces reveal alternate possibilities for the human experience – and particularly our experience of urban zones. My work is oriented toward the public realm, is collaborative more than it is ‘interactive,’ relies on ethnographic and art-historical research, and takes advantage of both contemporary and historical forms of artistic media.

Solo exhibitions (selected)

Group exhibitions (selected)

Collections