"My studio is more like a library, an archive, where all kinds of collections come together; mainly books, paper, but also all kinds of objects. For making drawings or sketches I use relatively little space; 2 tables, and a lot of preparations are done on the computer. This gives me the idea of mobility; you can find a table to work at anywhere.
The work of Marc Nagtzaam (°1968, NL-Helmond) takes place between opposing forces: randomness vs. order, regularity vs. intuitive chaos, preconceived rules vs. improvisation with an intention. It arises in the space between thought and emotion, between control and losing grip. Failing against its basic rules, it seeks in this failure to become better and better. The vibration and unpredictability of the drawing hand and the variation in the traces of the pencil point soften the rigid logic of an underlying system. Like the geometric abstractors and (post)minimalists, Nagtzaam creates a universal language with primary geometric forms, without any substantive references.
"Drawing is the medium to which I relate; my drawings are both a confirmation of the medium and a negation of it. The work can be seen as a reflection on the medium of drawing itself. Where is the drawing, the drawer? Can the drawing become immaterial, exist as an idea, constantly reformulate itself? The drawings are largely a rearrangement of already existing images. To arrive at a new series of work, I use elements from architecture, graphic design, photos and texts selected from various sources, but mainly details from previously made drawings. The work is to some extent self-generating; each drawing gives rise to a new drawing or series of works. The construction of a surface consists of short pencil lines placed next to each other, an almost static, mechanical action. In the uniformly shaded dark grey areas, parts have been left out; the forms, structures and patterns based on an irregular grid, are without hierarchy or centre and have a non-narrative character.
Within my drawing practice, I am therefore constantly looking for translations, reworkings of my drawings in a different medium: as a book, as a (temporary) wall drawing, as a spatial installation or as text. These connections result in shifts in meaning, context, time/time, distribution, experience and space. For this I regularly collaborate with other artists and designers."
- Marc Nagtzaam
