Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.
Carl Gustav Jung
In the BURN-IN show, Martin Schwarz transforms books into living works of art, where text and sculpture, transience and creation flow into and permeate each other.
The SCRIPTURA exhibition, hosted by BURN-IN at Gerngross in Vienna, unveils a captivating fusion of book and sculpture—a synthesis that defines the artistic world of Swiss creator and publisher Martin Schwarz. Within this meticulously curated collection, comprising fifty book sculptures and featuring significant works like Post aus Untersternen and Die Bibliothek der verwandelten Bücher, a new realm emerges—one where the book transcends its conventional role as a mere text carrier.
Schwarz, a master of metaphysical exploration and materiality, invites us to view the book as an object of profound artistic transformation. The exhibition unfolds across thematic sections—Floral & Nature, Religion & Faith, Fashion & Culture, and Technologies & Time—each offering a distinct narrative and aesthetic exploration of the book as an art form.
The very title, SCRIPTURA, echoes its Latin roots, signifying “writing” or “written.” Yet it symbolizes much more: the metamorphosis of text into tangible, sculptural forms. Schwarz’s philosophical approach embraces imperfection, revealing that these books are not mere vessels for reading—they embody life. Traces of decay, re-creation, and human intervention elevate them to unique works of art.
Each book sculpture becomes a testament to art’s boundless ability to redefine itself. Schwarz delves into materiality, transience, and the essence of knowledge. His creations provoke thought while physically manifesting ideas shaped by the artist’s hands and the passage of time.
SCRIPTURA showcases Martin Schwarz’s reinterpretation of the book medium. For him, a book is not merely a container for words; it breathes, lives, and bridges the past with future artistic possibilities. In his hands, the book becomes a vehicle for intellectual exploration, blurring the boundaries between nature, art, and technology.
Schwarz’s artistic language thrives on everyday and unconventional materials, drawing from diverse realms of life and science. His book sculptures—dynamic, multidimensional—compel us to reevaluate our notions of art and culture. As the texts within these books evolve, so do the books themselves. No longer passive carriers of writing, they transform into malleable bodies within the landscape of art.
SCRIPTURA invites the public to witness both the literal and metaphorical transformation of the book. It sparks reflection on the infinite capacity for regeneration and the transient nature of the materials we employ.
In this exhibition, Martin Schwarz emerges not only as a guardian of book art but also as an avant-garde visionary. He shatters traditional boundaries, redefining the book as a potent medium for fresh forms of artistic expression. Through this presentation, the BURN-IN Gallery reaffirms its commitment to fostering dialogue across the arts, amplifying voices like Martin Schwarz’s on the forefront of creativity.
Vernissage
BURN-IN invites you to the exhibition opening on 17. May 2024 6 pm.
Location
BURN-IN Galerie im Gerngross 2. OG | 1070 Vienna, Mariahilfer Straße 42-48
#KunstTRANSFER
Hugging the imperfect
Martin Schwarz proves to be an artist, who stubbornly insists on not docking in the safe harbor of the familiar. Instead, he always sails the choppy waters of creative volatility, masterfully creating new, captivating works of art from seemingly disparate elements - be they ideas, materials or cultural fragments. The idea of not only accepting unfinished works and fragmented thoughts, but seeing them as an essential part of the creative process, permeates his work and gives it an almost life-affirming quality of constant transformation.
This approach, which aims to work with the unfinished and fragmentary, reveals a deeper insight into the human condition. Schwarz recognizes that even the human pursuit of knowledge and beauty often remains unfinished and that precisely in this unfinishedness can lie its own kind of perfection. His work, which moves between the printed word and visual art, thus offers a fascinating perspective on what art can be - a constant conversation between the artist and his environment, between the past and possible futures.
The core of his artistic philosophy, which manifests itself in his publications, could be seen as a kind of cultural recycling, in which ideas that were once considered set aside are re-evaluated and transformed in new contexts. This approach requires an openness that many contemporary artists avoid for fear of the unfinished or unpolished. Yet it is this willingness to embrace the imperfect that gives Schwarz's work its unique resonance and relevance.
His artistic approach perhaps best reflects human nature itself: ever-changing, incomplete, yet rich and meaningful in all its forms. As Martin Schwarz creates art, so he lives - in a constant dialog with the world, always ready to begin the next chapter without fully closing the previous one. In this respect, his work is not just a collection of objects or images, but a living map of his mental journeys.
