Marek Radke

Quite logically, as his work progressed, Radke then called the flat surface as the ultimate image plane into question. Initially, he scoops it out, in circular or rectangular form, elevates spatial dimensions with colour strips, and attains disconcerting depth effects. He plays with the trompe-l’oeuil effect, with tricking the eye, and in a highly effective manner, allows the body to define the relationship between volume and space on and in the surface. As his work develops further, the Constructive elements initially become entirely emancipated from the image surface, then from the wall surface, in order to be perceived as autonomous colour objects. These colour constructs, these colours that are collated and embodied in the material, make it possible to experience space anew; they establish themselves alongside the observer as three-dimensional partners in dialogue and provoke communication under altered conditions. Even more: the elements invite the observer to participate directly in the composition. And if this is not enough, in his latest works, the now four elementary levels of Radke’s art, namely colour, form, object and space, interact with a further component: light. Naturally, it is always the case that objects only become visible when reflected in light. On the one hand, the use of black light on phosphorescent colours brings a new awareness of this phenomenon, which is otherwise taken for granted, while on the other, it generates a sense of mystery and astonishment from the laws of physics. The playful elements in the presentation of the colour objects is transformed into magic, while at the same time, the intensified experience of the light effects also creates further creative possibilities, which Radke uses with artistic verve.

Again, he makes spaces his own, turns them into colourful cabinets of wonders through threads and nets of light, and through the use of mirrored depths. He creates the impression that colours can fly. These most recent developments can often only be hinted at by means of a collection of individual objects in an exhibition space or through photographs of installations, since the spatial requirements cannot always be met.

However, they can be assigned to the treasure trove of visual experiences from which new image concepts mature in the artist’s mind. From these, exciting challenges emerge for the observer and a promise is kept, namely that art, as described by Rudolf Arnheim, is “one of the rewards that fall to us when we think by seeing”. And in fact it is always this – thinking and seeing – that is the purpose of art.

Gisela Burkamp, November 2020