Ruth Marten: The Birds Exhibitions

The Birds is US artist Ruth Marten’s third solo exhibition in the UK and brings with it her trademark intrigues and pleasures.

The works in The Birds begin with chance encounters in New York thrift stores, flea markets, or at Argosy Books on 59th Street - where Marten hunts for likely vintage prints to develop into new subject matter. Then a dialogue may develop, both within the ideas she’s looking to draw out and with the artist of the original engraving - a reaching back and a drawing forward - resulting in a delightful new fluorescence. She has said that, like an illusionist, she prefers her audience to keep a slight distance from the work so they can’t see her tricks - but who can resist these delicious, surreal dreams? We are willing accomplices, happy to suspend disbelief in the zoological wunderkammer she offers.

“The Birds, a survey, came about as the result of the abysmal campaign and election in the US which instilled in myself and my friends a strong desire to fly away. Easier said than done, hence the immersion into the realm of birds!

Fortunately that world is deep and wide with innumerable interfaces with our own so, whether reflecting natural history of an utterly absurd scenario, there is much material here to play with.” (Ruth Marten, 2017)

Birds occupy a strong place in our psyche. Both philias and phobias abound in our subconscious. Birds are amongst us, yet they fly from us. We see them but they have powers we can only wish for - to leave at will, to cross borders, to disappear and reappear like genii. Hecate, Thoth, the Thunderbird, Garuda and Anzu - these are all deities with shapeshifting abilities or are at least morphological hybrids. In Marten’s works we see equivalents: birds without bodies, outsize birds, birds with impossible features; we see humans transforming into birds, attaining the power to fly. Marten states her desire to escape a political administration in chaos, a sense that the environment has become too hostile. As our borders solidify and our walls get higher, the metaphorical significance of birds becomes all the more important and the imperative to see our commonality rises.

The Birds is the continuation of a body of work that Marten instigated ten years ago with Histoire un-Naturelle, shown with the John Marchant Gallery in London; with Gallery Hosfeldt in NYC and, most recently, with Fountains and Alligators at Cologne’s Galerie van der Grinten. For Marten's upcoming exhibition at the Eagle Gallery, all her works will be certified with Tagsmart's DNA Tags and accompanied by a secure Certificate of Authenticity, guaranteeing proof of ownership and provenance for collectors.

About Ruth Marten

Ruth Marten began her career in the 1970s as one of the few women tattoo artists. Working during the Disco and Punk eras, she also tattooed in the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris during the 10th Biennale de Paris. Her love of the printed image, which informs her current work, stems from her 30 year practice as an illustrator for many magazines, music and book covers including the “Year in Provence” books by Peter Mayle. As well as other media and fashion outlets such as Esquire, Bergdorf Goodman, Salvatore Ferragamo, Barney’s and Vogue Magazine. Since 1989 Marten has expressed herself exclusively through drawings, paintings and sculptures. In 2003, she embarked upon her current interest in reworking the images and historical content of mostly 18th century prints from engravings which have been exhibited by the De Young Collection, Charles Saatchi and others. Marten continues to study the arcane and wonderfully misconstrued “truths” presented in this material and is currently working on pictures depicting esoteric Judaica and Herculaneum interiors.

About John Marchant Gallery

John Marchant Gallery and Isis Gallery represent a group of international artists including Jamie Reid, Martin Erik Andersen, Hans de Wit and Ruth Marten.

About Tagsmart

Developed by the art world for the art world, Tagsmart offers complete art authentication solutions, designed for artists, collectors and sellers of art. Endorsed and used by leading and emerging artists, Tagsmart uses DNA tagging technology to identify artwork alongside a unique and secure system for issuing Certificates of Authenticity. These services are fully integrated with a secure online Provenance Record which enables artists to verify the authenticity of their artworks and create an accredited chain of provenance.

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