In the media-saturated world in which we live, we are constantly bombarded with information. Our bulimic consumption of the communication channels stuffs us full of ever newer facts, demanding instant response. We simply do not take the time to reflect upon the fundamental principles on which we would like to base the choices we make. “Causa vitae” invites the visitor to reflect upon the meaning of his individual life. In the large space, a number of “human figures” have been placed, grouped in various stages of life. By passing through this work the viewer enters a smaller space in which he hears a series of philosophical statements. He may or may not agree with them, but they are offered for his consideration.

The ongoing focus of the artist's work is human behaviour and the way in which humans comprehend their lives, the world and other people around them. While his individual works testify to an intense emotional involvement, in his projects as a whole, Mark Swysen maintains a scientific detachment, an objective, reserved stance towards reality as he presents it to the viewer. The use of Latin names, for example, can be understood in this light. It is a dead language that is now used only in the scientific nomenclature, and can only be studied in another time frame, from a distance. Swysen claims that he became an artist because it puts him in a position to communicate his hypotheses about humanity free from the scientific requirement of proof. Mark Swysen works in a grey area between painting and sculpture. Acrylic paint is but a single element in his arsenal of materials. Metals such as steel, lead or copper sheets are welded into the dimensions of stretched canvases and treated with acids in order to generate new patinas. The materials are chosen for their symbolic qualities, the primal instincts that they evoke and/or their emotional resonance for the viewer. The burnt wood symbolises the oxidising, gradually dying human body. The bitumen tarpaper used in roofing is for the artist a skin that protects the human body. It can be torn, scratched, burnt and melted. Old floorboards and discarded clothing are recycled. The “structure paintings” have a characteristic tall, narrow format and are planted on steel legs: the images standing in space symbolise the equally diverse variations in humans. In his exhibition projects, Mark Swysen uses these “human figures” like actors on a film set. The viewer's experience of the total presentation becomes the artwork itself. The traditional “looking” remains a part of the process, but more important is the involvement of the viewer in what is taking place.