The "Terra fugit" (Vanishing Earth) project examines the relationship between Man and his biological environment: Nature. In particular Man’s constructive or destructive influences. Mark Swysen explores the area of tension between ecology and economy, between the harsh struggle for survival and the benefits offered by culture and prosperity.
Temporality
The series is partially composed of monochromic, abstract paintings in acrylic and mixed media, combined with copper, leaden or steels plates corroded by acids. The canvasses are painted in a limited acrylic palette of earth colours literally mixed with soil, pebblestone, sand and other natural ingredients. Along with the chiseled wooden panels they refer to the biological origin of our planet. The organical chaos of the textures asks for the visitors touch. Man has claimed Earths riches and has left his signature with the excavated ores: architecture, highways, ... The works manufactured with industrially produced metallic elements stand symbol for our technological surroundings, rigidly structurised and regulated. The evolution from perfectly polished metal to rusted waste suggests the temporality of this materialistic world and of our own physical existence.
Bitter homage to nature
In a bitter homage Mark Swysen literally frames the art work of Nature: the traditional frames display flowering plants in stead of the painting we would expect. Nature is exhited as a museal collection. A sharp contrast is formulated by a leaking water faucet in the midst of a wastepile
. Elsewhere Nature is desperately kept alive through medical assistance by means of fluid, administered with baxters.Clean air for sale
The performance "the Kyoto-shop" is a persiflage on the political arrangements concerning non-polluted air: the artist sells bottles of canned clean air from different regions. At the bar customers can enjoy a dose of pure oxygen, fresh from the oxygen cylinder.