The current world population is 7.8 billion. The UN estimates that, within this record number, 55 per cent live in urban areas. This is projected to rise to 68 per cent by 2050. Our connection to nature is dwindling as we move further into built-up, developed landscapes. We are losing touch with subtle seasonal changes; the boundary lines between human and non-human territories are becoming blurred. Markus Guschelbauer (b. 1974) creates pastel-coloured installations that represent humanity’s increasing desire to organise, define and control interactions with the organic world. Pale pink, baby blue and mint green grids impose a sense of order which is both aesthetically pleasing and oddly melancholic. Rolls of turf are slotted into wardrobe-like constructions; photographs of potted plants and tree trunks are hung in neat rows; leaves shoot straight through shelves. Guschelbauer presents assemblages that are both provocative and Instagrammable.
Lead Image: Markus Guschelbauer, Seeblick 3 / Lake View (2020). Analog C-print / 90 x 110 cm. Courtesy of the artist.
1: Markus Guschelbauer, Interieur / Exterieur II (2015). Analog C-print / 128 x 150 cm. Courtesy of the artist.
2: Markus Guschelbauer, Interieur / Exterieur III (2015). Analog C-print / 128 x 150 cm. Courtesy of the artist.
3: Markus Guschelbauer, Interieur / Exterieur I (2015). Analog C-print / 128 x 150 cm. Courtesy of the artist.
4: Markus Guschelbauer, Apfelbaum / Apple Tree (2011). Analog C-print / 145 x 118 cm. Courtesy of the artist.
