ART VIENNA / Artfair

Marko Zink is a master of staged photography, telling stories that exist only for the moment of the shot. His depicted works stand out with a captivating portrayal of the forest, serving as a symbol of the unconscious and perplexities. He weaves the familiar and the uncanny by combining seemingly incompatible elements, such as wallpaper on tree trunks or the fusion of humans and nature. In one photograph, the clown appears as a character, lending a mysterious and surreal atmosphere to the scene. The clown symbolizes the ambivalence between joy and melancholy that accompanies the forest as a setting in his works. In his series “fremd” (foreign), Zink explores the underwater world, emphasizing the transience and transformation of human objects. His analog photographs, with deliberate film processing, demonstrate the closeness of photography to painting and film, opening new perspectives for the medium.

On the other hand, Viktors Svikis presents his world in large-scale oil paintings and drawings. His art aims to analyze humanity and its relationships in our society without passing judgment. Using a pop-cultural language, Svikis collage-like everyday situations with subversive humor and alienated motifs. His exceptional classical painting education allows him to skillfully employ various visual languages. Svikis’ works float in a multidimensionality that illustrates a fusion of virtuality and the natural environment, as well as the connection between different levels of reality and their mechanisms. In his works as well, the clown motif appears, introducing a surreal and whimsical dimension to the representation.

Both artists provide visitors with a unique insight into nature. While Zink explores the impermanence and transformation in the underwater world and underbrush, Svikis questions the relationship between society and nature. At the center reigns the clown as the embodied reflection of human nature. The clown becomes a symbol of deception and masquerade in our society, raising questions about the true nature of things. It reminds us that behind every mask we wear lies an entire world of emotions and a labyrinth of the human psyche.