Marcel van Eeden, untitled, 2012, nero pencil on hand-made paper, 56 x 76 cm / 22 x 30 inch (K_MVE1-695),
private collection, Paris
Marcel van Eeden
Cell Physiological Work with the Amoeba Chaos Chaos
Galerie Zink | April 21st – June 2nd, 2012
Opening: April 20th, 2012, 6 -9 p.m.
Amoebae (from Greek amoibē, meaning ‘change, alteration’) are a large, polymorphic group of protozoa
capable of continually changing their shape; they are one of the most enthralling microorganisms ever
observed under a microscope; and they reproduce via cell division, making them theoretically immortal.
Perhaps the best-known genus of amoebae is the Chaos genus.
True to form, Marcel van Eeden titled his current exhibition and latest series of drawings after the front
page of a scientific journal from 1959—a time from before his birth in 1965.
The artistic principle of his work is derived from the amoebic phenomenon of perpetually changing one’s
appearance while remaining paradoxically the same.
Thus, his imagery is equally subjected to the same permanent, on-going transformation. Initially, van
Eeden would capture the ‘pictorial chaos’ of the time before he was born in individual drawings. Later, he
started combining those sketches into a series where his various protagonists would occasionally appear
in absurd narratives. His visual stories constantly divide: new characters make appearances, coming
together and separating once again.
His fascination for dynamic mutation and the idea of chaos continue to accompany his latest works.
Rather than composing a large story out of many small-scale sketches, his newest works are chaos in its
purest form. Text, icons and images come together like a collage. There is no clear direction or narrative
to act as a guide. The spectator just has to submit to the chaos, first finding the depth of his work after
two or three viewings.
As a demonstration of how these fragments are blended into a world of collaged images, he will be
showing four of these works for the first time in his exhibition, Cell Physiological Work with the Amoeba
Chaos Chaos. Despite all conceptual rigour, Marcel van Eeden’s artistic method has continued to
undergo a metamorphosis since he began exclusively using pictorial material from before 22 November
1965 in his drawings. His large-scale works document the latest significant development in his oeuvre.
Furthermore, drawings by Marcel van Eeden are part of the exhibition “ARTandPRESS” at MartinGropius-Bau, Berlin (March 23rd - July 24th, 2012) and “Geschichten zeichnen. Erzählung in der
zeitgenössischen Grafik” at Museum Folkwang, Essen (May 19th -July 15th, 2012).
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