Marius von Brasch: Black Sun, Braided Time

Marius von Brasch, Black Sun, 2022, Oil on canvas, 47 x 47 inches

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Marius von Brasch: Black Sun, Braided Time

3 May - 8 June 2023

jennsingergallery.com/blacksun

Jenn Singer is delighted to present Black Sun, Braided Time, the gallery’s first solo exhibition of paintings by German-born, UK-based painter Marius von Brasch.

The online exhibition features a collection of von Brasch's oil paintings and drawings on paper, which exude an energy that can only be compared to the dance of a blazing fire or the pressing storm surge of a turbulent ocean.

At first glance, the works seem abstract, but upon closer inspection, figures and structures emerge, and stories take shape. The exhibition showcases von Brasch's references to passages, transitions, and cathartic moments of change. These moments are rich with memories, intensities, and anticipations of what could be, with disintegration of stable constructions and other potentials. The works hold tensions of opposing forces, of loss, imagination, and hope; experiences that have become a heightened challenge for many in recent years.

In creating his work, Marius von Brasch takes inspiration from ancient mythic role models including Osiris, Orpheus, Persephone, and Psyche. These figures had to gain access to a region where they would lose their identity and power to the depth of the 'underworld' to retrieve a nurturing quality and knowledge that could be shared back in daylight on earth.

The black sun is an image for a necessary stage on the way to more consciousness and renewal of life energy, the blackening before the reddening or greening, which refers to new life in nature. It indicates a way of looking at depression as a transitional darkening with a given chance of healing.

Von Brasch's practice started in his early twenties while working with pastels on large paper. He describes it as a completely unexpected experience of suddenly being connected with a pure, almost impersonal, and challenging energy, which seemed to have been waiting somehow to break through at this pivotal moment and make him work differently and feel differently about it.

"Much of the psychological and academic research I undertook during the following decades came from the desire to understand what actually happens while painting from this kind of departure point," says von Brasch. "In order to make the art I'm interested in - to retrieve something poetic that I can't predict and that holds something ambiguous yet meaningful beyond what I could consciously think up - I have to follow the ancient mythic role models and access an 'underworld,' an 'other night' and unconscious dynamics of the life of Psyche, uncertainty and an openness for Becoming, the questions and affects that underlie my environment and the lives of others."

The exhibition showcases von Brasch's ability to trace some of the pathways connecting into and out of what that 'other night' could mean for him and others. He builds persistently those sparks of light, the 'scintillae,' into the blindfolded darkness because he likes to leave the questions open that he can't answer.

"Marius von Brasch's work offers a captivating exploration of the interplay between opposing forces of loss, imagination, and hope," says gallery founder Jenn Singer. "We are excited to share this dynamic and engaging new body of work with our collectors, followers and friends around the world via our online platform."

Visit jennsingergallery.com/blacksun from May 3 – June 8, 2023 to view Marius von Brasch: Black Sun, Braided Time or email info@jennsingergallery.com for more information about the artist and his work.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

German-British contemporary artist Marius von Brasch received his MA with distinction from Winchester School of Art, University of Southampton, where he also completed his practice-based PhD.

Von Brasch was awarded the Abbey Fellowship in Painting at The British School in Rome in 2013.

With a background in psychotherapy and literature, Marius von Brasch teaches experiential approaches to painting as well as courses on art and literature.

His work is held in the Priseman Seabrook Collection, the University of Essex Modern and Contemporary British Art Collection, and in international private collections. The artist is a member of Contemporary British Painting and lives and works on the Isle of Wight, UK.

ABOUT THE GALLERY

Jenn Singer opened the doors of her namesake gallery in New York City’s historic Gramercy Park neighborhood in 2015. We have since grown to an expanded, international online-based presence.

We proudly represent a diverse, international program of contemporary artists. Our online gallery provides a selection of available artwork; however, we have an expanded selection of work available on request from artists around the world.

Jenn Singer’s artists & exhibitions have been featured in Wallpaper*, Cultured Magazine, Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue, Cosmopolitan, VICE - The Creators Project, The Huffington Post, Glamour and Hi-Fructose Magazine, among others. 

To learn more about Jenn Singer’s online gallery and our artists, visit jennsingergallery.com and stay in touch by signing up for our newsletter.

For additional images / information, please email info@jennsingergallery.com.

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