Stefan Marx’s primary medium is drawing, which he employs in various contexts. Besides classic drawings on paper, he illustrates record sleeves, T-shirts, skateboards, and magazines. His drawings are spontaneous sketches based on his observations of everyday life, frequently featuring individuals and landscapes as recurring themes.
Marx’s idealized panorama for the Aula in the Ferdinandeum is a Tyrolean theme park, an urban-styled place. His pictorial worlds are psycho-geographic landscapes drawn from archaic and classical motifs of Tyrolean history. These panoramas reference both historical and contemporary meanings; they depict events like the execution of Andreas Hofer in Mantua and the court of Emperor Maximilian. The images present an idealized world, filled with laughing landscapes, exulting animals, and the naked Nordkette, among other symbols of the good life. Unlike classical portraits, Marx’s protagonists are not glorified or meant to impress. Free from aristocratic privilege, they do not demand respectful distance from the viewer; instead, they are more droll than impressive, poking fun at historical pathos.
Marx’s pictorial language does not require knowledge of art or cultural history or familiarity with the subjects; it only requires a willingness to explore the many links between the narrative and Tyrolean cultural history. His panorama is a fantasy journey where viewers encounter fantastic figures and purported history. The rectangular cyclorama serves as a quarry of Tyrolean history and culture, filled with metaphors, quotations, and references to cultural objects from the Middle Ages to the present day, sourced from places like the Museum of Tyrolean Regional Heritage or the Armoury.
For Stefan Marx, drawing is a democratic pursuit. Though his drawings are personal creations, they belong to everyone. Drawing is a gift, a message, a postcard. It is as naked and simple, as direct and immediate, as feeling sad or being in love.
Details:
Pages: 30
Dimensions: W 195mm x H255mm
