Marc David Spengler
Mezmerize

June 27 to August 1, 2020

Ampersand is pleased to present Mezmerize, an exhibition of drawings and a new book by German artist Marc David Spengler. The title alludes to an album by the California metal band System of a Down that he listened to regularly as he made these works. But it also echoes the consistent response he gets to his drawings when posted to Instagram. People often comment that they are mesmerizing, an effect that aligns with the intention of his compositions. A viewer can be transfixed by seemingly simple details—optical illusions, fake shadows, the transformation from flatness to spatiality. They are three dimensional worlds that, he says, ignore the laws of physics. Pattern, too, plays a significant role in his drawings, hence the publication of Pattern No. 5 through our gallery imprint to coincide with the exhibition. Reflecting on this, Spengler notes that his working process is spontaneous, emphasizing that each composition is made without a sketch or pencil drawing beforehand. Every shape and every color choice is an impulsive reaction to those previously drawn. A sense of anticipation is manifest in unknown outcomes. I am, he says, the creator and the viewer at the same time. There's a kinetic quality to the process, often captured in short overhead videos that he makes as he draws and then posts to Instagram. It sounds entirely free, but there are unwritten rules that form the aesthetics of his work. These rules orient and balance shape, line and color to create harmony in each composition. The "side drawings,“ presented to the left of select spreads in the book, are accidental patterns created while testing markers and color combinations. Pattern, then, is both carefully defined and fluid with parallel alternatives. Though undeniable that his recurring shapes develop a visual pattern entirely his own, it's a set of unseen mental guidelines in the making process that establishes the key pattern overall.

Marc David Spengler lives and works near Stuttgart, Germany, where he also studies at The State Academy of Art and Design. This is his first exhibition with Ampersand. Pattern No. 5, a book of 30 small drawings, was published to coincide with the show.

Purchase Marc's Book