Presentation
When I was a student, discovering Bacon was a shock to me. It was the 70s; performance
and concept art were prevailing. He allowed me to understand that it was still possible to paint
the human condition, strikingly and sincerely. Humans are just like animals, with but a
thin layer of civilisation. I’d like this layer to be thicker; I’m a romantic.
excerpt from Peter Martensen, painter of the blues of the human condition,
interview with Valentine Meyer, 2021 — open-ring.com
The title Boundaries refers to red lines, to those limits existing in themselves because of their impassable nature, or to the limits we set for one another for protection or control. Essential to human relations and life in a society, and partly specific to each culture, limitations may be in the form of an express rule or a law. Be it a justified restriction of the agency of citizens or the result of manipulation, these limits are of the most sensitive nature.
A keen observer of his time and of the depths of the human soul, Peter Martensen offers us a set of vivid scenes with Boundaries. There, human figures navigate through landscapes —on the edge of a pit, their feet in the water, on a small boat, near invisible, melted in a field—, or through nameless enclosed spaces and pens. Despite the prevalent stillness of these situations, there is great tension: Freeze frames or immobile time? Dream or nightmare? Despair, anxiety, absurdity, honest or nervous laughs: these situations trigger the most ambiguous emotions and reactions. Confusion prevails. A lone woman clad in a nurse gown at the bottom of a great wall orientates a torchlight upwards: Signal!
[…]
Deeply affected by the book Family of Man since he was a child, Peter Martensen wants to tell us about ourselves, in all our facets: tender, fragile, comical, powerful, or terrible. His keen awareness of the past and history coexist with his interest in so-called supernatural phenomena. His works are thus born from both facts and uncertainties, from these units defined by a framework whose actors and props have been cast by the author, so the sequel can play within us.
Agenda
READING
Author Brice Liaud and poet Céline Bernadac read (in french) Pose – a poetic essay by Brice Liaud, published in 2023 by Espaces - Éditeur scientifique, and inspired by Peter Martensen's work.
Galerie Maria Lund, Paris
STARTING SUNDAY
Galleries welcome you on Sunday for this autumn event.comitedesgaleriesdart.com
Galerie Maria Lund, Paris
NOCTURNE DU MARAIS
Thursday, October 17th 20247pm > 9pmGalleries in the Marais come together for an event-filled evening
Galerie Maria Lund, Paris