Weho, Los Angeles
Markus Bacher
The Human Superorganism
CaseCase is pleased to present The Human Superorganism, a solo showcase of new work by Tyrolean painter Markus Bacher. The Human Superorganism features a suite of eight largescale canvases Bacher created while on the central California coast. On the heels of his lauded 10-year retrospective at the Baroque Palais Schwarzenberg in Vienna, the Kitzbühel-born artist, who had previously briefly lived in Los Angeles, returned to California in January 2020, choosing to reside in the intimate and natural setting of Santa Barbara. Gaining a new personal perspective on Californian landscapes, the ultra-contemporary artist connected with local nature on a physical and subconscious level, diving into the golden light of the coastal sunrises and sunsets and bringing to life his own interpretation with fresh European eyes. The resulting paintings, presented in the gallery's main space, are sharpened in their opennesss and sense of place, translating specific moments in time and new discoveries with palpable emotion. Bacher’s wildly kinetic and simultaneously intentional brushstrokes pulsate off the paintings’ multilayered surfaces, oscillating between abstraction and fleeting figuration as the viewer notices details that emerge almost as if through a fog penetrated by powerful flourishes of color and texture. In these new works, Bacher explores a visceral array of complex and dynamic color combinations with sensitivity, precision, and boldness. “I walk around pregnant with the idea of color and energy, an experience I bring to each painting,” he says. “It’s a form of communication, a dialogue that has no words.” Teetering between masculine and feminine, the artist’s multidimensional compositions depict both a real and surreal universe rich in biodiversity. Viewers are invited to immerse themselves in a kaleidoscopic sea of color and movement, where they discover worlds inside of worlds. Organic shapes, vivid markings, and translucent colors blend on the canvases. They tell the story of Bacher’s patient observations and the joy of unexpected encounters and connections in his newly adopted home and studio. The flit of a monarch butterfly wing surfaces from a yellow and black canvas, as if emerging from its cocoon, only to speedily dart in and out of shadows. Familiar forms of bodies and glimpses of recognizable faces seem to levitate above other canvases before receding into pools of saturated hues, flashes of light and shadow, dramatic gestural strokes, or meticulously built-up layers of pigment. At once teeming with heightened energy and serene tranquility, Bacher’s compositions adeptly achieve a precarious balance that defies traditional classification and ultimately reminds the viewer of both the grandeur and fragility of our natural landscape and current world order. “These paintings tell a story of how I’m seeing the world in the here and now—but also how I envision it, how I want the world to be.” —Markus Bacher Born in 1983 in Kitzbühel, Austria, Markus Bacher, studied painting and tapestry at Universität für angewandte Kunst Wien (University of Applied Arts Vienna). Since his graduation in 2009, he has had solo exhibitions at Museum Stiegenhaus, in Langenlois, Austria; Galerie Goldener Engl, Hall in Tirol, Austria; Contemporary Fine Arts in Berlin, Germany, Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles Projects in Culver City, California; and Palais Schwarzenberg in Vienna, Austria, among others. His work has been shown in various group exhibitions, including at the Biennale Giovani Monza, Serrone della Villa Reale in Monza, Italy; Tiroler Landesmuseum, Ferdinandeum in Innsbruck, Austria; HangART-7 Edition 15 in Salzburg, Austria, and the Essl Museum in Klosterneuburg, Austria. His paintings are also represented in several private collections, such as the Essl at Albertina in Vienna and Hort collection in New York. Bacher currently lives and works in Santa Barbara, California.