Collection: Marc Jung

Marc Jung does not follow philosophical masters in his work. He is not guided by abstract thought constructs, not by artificial attempts to explain the world. Marc Jung reflects. Directly and without intellectual qualms, he tells us his view of the world and the actors of our contemporary history. A chronicler who has left slogans and caricatures behind him and reflects the beauties and contradictions of our time and makes them tangible. 
In the academic context, art is repeatedly described as an end in itself, contemporary art no longer needs to have a message or content; Form, material and conception stand for themselves, the thought - although often difficult to grasp - suffices itself. Art is increasingly becoming a purely optical (or sensory) experience, without demanding an iconographic education from the beholder. At this point Marc Jung breaks with the artistic contemporary spirit. He criticizes, exposes, makes fun of or glorifies it. But these are not slogans, mottoes, biblical sayings or film quotations. He creates new pictorial realms, occasionally quoting great masters of art history, but always remains committed to the ideals of art history in the structure of his works. At first glance, these may appear to us as a continuation of pop art, perhaps even as canvas-born street art or graffiti. But they are not: they are much, much more. The materials that Marc Jung uses for his works are manifold and modern. He uses oil, acrylic, lacquer, neon and fluorescent paints as well as markers. With this choice of material, he also facilitates access for those beholders who are less familiar with the reception of artworks. It is his own pictorial language, using modern stylistic devices and symbolism, that makes this democratization of art and its reception possible.
Marc Jung works fast. You get the impression that he, who decided a few years ago not to have himself tested for a serioushereditary disease in his family, does not want to lose any time. He restlessly works, prepares and holds exhibitions, is in Munich yesterday, in Frankfurt and Berlin tomorrow, and then in his home studio in Erfurt again, gives interviews and can be seen on talk shows. The artist‘s work and personality are on a very high energetic level, he works very disciplined, has an extroverted nature and his works are intense, vibrating, often lovable and always honest. His wonderfully loud form of expression on canvas shows the inner depth of his works impressively and relentlessly.
Marc Jung‘s professional career testifies from the first moment of his artistic activity to the seriousness of his work. He studied at the Bauhaus University in Weimar, at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna with Daniel Richter and was a master student of Wolfram Adalbert Scheffler at the Academy of Fine Arts in Dresden. 
Marc Jung

Available works

The path is the destination: Marc Jung “on the way to painting”

"Figurative post-abstract expressionism is what the artist Marc Jung says he brings to the canvas with spray cans, oil and varnish. Neither purely figurative nor non-representational, neither graffiti nor classical painting: Marc Jung's art resists simple pigeonholing. Dirty work with a strong effect, such as dripping ¹, is opposed to the accuracy of forms that sometimes find their way onto the canvas with stencils, but more often by hand. Marc Jung's works fluctuate between the poles of chaos and order and "may be a bit like me," says the artist, whose exuberantly extroverted presence often belies his structured way of working. His works are created layer by layer. The lowest layers are often no longer visible at all or only appear in spots as colored shadows; they are elementary as the basis for the creation of the works.

He is still "on the way to painting," says Jung. Anyone who is reminded of Picasso or Basquiat when looking at his works of art will recognize, among other things, Marc Jung's intention not to commit himself to purely representational mimesis. Instead, the viewer is presented with Jung's search for a contemporary form of expression in image form. This is clearly one of those cases in which the path is the destination. Knowing the rules of the art cosmos, Jung subverts them ironically like Kippenberger, morally but without pointing the finger like his professor Richter, cynically provocative like Meese and with a large portion of musical subculture on the canvas. Above all, it is music that inspires him and accompanies him while he paints. The titles of the works are evidence of this, for example humorously distorted snippets from German or English rap songs: "You are not a gang member, you are a tourist."² Based on the recontextualization undertaken, who is the addressee of this suspicion...? The image, the viewer and the artist himself are equally put to the test of art." —Theresa Brauer

With a spray can and acrylic paint, Marc Jung breaks with traditional ideas about painting and confronts the grey of monotonous cities. The Erfurt artist, who studied at the Bauhaus University in Weimar, breaks up every urban concrete wasteland with his shrill colour palette. As a child of East German social prefab housing, he began to brighten his world with art in his youth. From a rebellious graffiti sprayer, he developed into an internationally sought-after and renowned artist.

The subversive energy of his working method remains a crucial part of his painting technique and is evident in the motifs. The English-German play on words in the exhibition title is repeated in many of his work titles and is characteristic of Jung's biting humor. Anyone who wants to hold their own in the shark tank of high society must be strong and well armed. The work that gives the title shows a muscle-bound shark that shows off luxury labels and smiles at the viewer with sharp teeth. With many details and the energetic figures, Marc Jung inspires us to think in an incredibly lively way. Each figure has an ironic saying on its lips, boasts about status symbols and at the same time reveals the illusion of "SHARK CIETY".

Impressions

Marc Jung Galerie Lachenmann Art
Marc Jung Galerie Lachenmann Art
Marc Jung Galerie Lachenmann Art
Marc Jung Galerie Lachenmann Art
Marc Jung Galerie Lachenmann Art
  • My favourite - Art spotted ›SSS (SCHEISSSTRICHERSTREIFEN NR 05)‹ by Marc Jung

    In the series ›My favourite - Art spotted‹, Moritz from our gallery in Konstanz presents her favourite work today:

    I have been able to sell Marc Jung's works at various exhibitions: I have always had a special memory of them! The daring color combination of the smaller canvas work ›SSS (SCHEISSSTRICHERSTREIFEN NR 05)‹ from 2022 has a special appeal for me. Read more...

"AGGROSCHAFT-MARC JUNG&THE GANG"