Marek Radke: St. Urbanus (Kirchenraum)
Interview: Bettina Pelz. Publiziert am 15. SEP 2024.
Marek Radke is a painter; his canvas is a space filled with light. He works on abstract objects with fluorescent surfaces responding to surrounding UV light. These enterable pictorial spaces are based on the interaction of space and color with light.
Dedicated to the vocabulary of geometry, he works with lines, rectangles, cubes, circles, and spheres as reoccurring shapes. His abstract compositions explore the correlation between form, space, color, and light.
He choreographs visual relationships that form and deform while walking through the workspace, and at the same time, they seem to form viable constructions.
Best Marek _ we have known each other for over ten years and have realized exhibition projects in Europe and North Africa. Working with you is always a great pleasure – both as an artist and a person. Can you find a moment to answer some questions about the new installation in St. Urbanus in Gelsenkirchen?
— What is interesting about participating in a light and media art project in Gelsenkirchen?
Gelsenkirchen is a twin city of Allenstein (Olsztyn) in Poland, and I was born there. I spent a few beautiful years there as a child.
— Why did you agree to be part of the GOLDSTÜCKEN?
I owe my participation in the Gelsenkirchen festival to you, Bettina, who has known and understood my art for years.
— What kind of location did you choose for your work? How did you find it?
I like to work in places that present a new challenge for my work.
— Can you describe your creative process for this work, from the initial ideas to the concept and realization?
I am a painter. Since 2004, I have been working on connecting my work on canvas and my installations. This is the path from 2D to 3D. My installations are images that I create on the canvas.
My installations and paintings are created in one process. The same elements form different, unique compositions depending on the location of the exhibition. Through my installations, I paint pictures in space.
— How do you approach the creation of art in public spaces?
Creating installations in public spaces allows me to make the impact of my ideas accessible to a broader audience.
— How do you deal with light and media as media in your artistic practice? What motivated you to work with these elements?
I use traditional means such as fluorescent paints and UV lamps. I use lightweight materials such as polystyrene, balsa wood, and UV-illuminated materials for the installations.
— How do you think light and media art will continue to develop in interaction with our changing world?
The development of presentation with the help of light is playing an increasingly important role in art. Digitalization and artificial intelligence are creating new presentation possibilities.