4 Rooms – Plus
SARAH MILNE on Markus Thonett’s new exhibition at St Andrews Mews
Markus Thonett with Infinity Rail Track
The secret rooms of St Andrew’s Mews, mysterious decaying grandeur found upstairs during renovations, have become a popular and inspirational place for local artists. Some choose to use the twelve rooms to exhibit retrospective collections, others make work inspired by the timeless, ghostly space. Markus Thonett treats us to both in his 4 Rooms – Plus show, open until the end of February. His original plan was a simple show of existing work in four rooms. But a cancellation in the other rooms gave him the space to make some new installations in response to the space, designed to reflect the visual and atmospheric feel of each room.
The show reflects Thonett’s wide breadth of practice and ability as a mixed media artist. There are card-cuts of local scenes, creations from found objects, sculpted cast concrete, and burnt wood and mirror installations, including a fascinating ‘infinity’ rail track. Markus is a thematic artist, exploring the best way to feel and communicate a subject rather than limiting himself to one practice. This is a large and impressive collection of work made over many years.
CONVERSATIONS: FAMILIAR AND NEW
Some of this work was comfortably familiar, created in an artistic expression I have come to know and love. Other pieces almost felt as though they were made by a different artist. It was exciting and refreshing to see an artist so open to developing and growing through new ideas. “My work is an ongoing conversation” he told me, “and like conversations between people, it jumps around different subjects.”
Being alive, experiencing the fine balance between pain and joy, is a recurrent theme. Markus finds this especially poignant in the current turbulent times. Walking through the exhibition is a journey through that balance of pain and delight. Along with big conceptual ideas, there are other pieces that are pure playfulness. He loves to elicit new ways of looking at the ordinary. Recycling, reusing, and refiguring ordinary material, he invites his audience to see everyday objects with a fresh and surprising perspective, learning something new about themselves and their place in the world.
Thonett is a unique artist, both in his solo work and in the collaborative pieces he makes with Tessa, his wife and close colleague. The pair have become pillars of the local art scene, often curating exhibitions and collections and encouraging artists at all stages of their careers. Tessa is to be acknowledged for helping Markus curate this exhibition. I can’t help wondering what is next for this power couple, and I doubt we will have to wait long to find out.
4 Rooms-Plus is upstairs at St Andrews Mews until the end of February. Markus Thonett will be making art there most Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
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A perceptive article reflecting the enlightening journey through Markus Thonett’s superb exhibition.