Marcia Teusink
Marcia Teusink is a multidisciplinary artist whose work explores climate change, collapsing environments and regrowth through painting, sculpture, video, printmaking and mixed media. Recently her work has largely been focussed on the history of the movement of plants around the globe, in an attempt to try to understand and visually process the past and its implications in terms of ecological issues today.
Bio
Marcia Teusink is an American-born, London-based artist who has recently participated in exhibitions at St Augustine's Tower (London), Rome Botanical Gardens (Italy), St Bartholomew’s Church (London) and the Od Arts Festival (Somerset, UK). Teusink frequently collaborates with other artists, including an ongoing collaboration with Ground Collective, with artist Tanya Gill (Chicago, USA) and with The Prezent, which recently showed its project ‘Looted’ at The Pedagogical University in Krakow (Poland). She has attended artists residencies at Kala Art Institute (CA, USA), The Studios at MASSMoCA (MA, USA), PADA Studios/SLUICE (Barreiro, Portugal) and Radical Residency VII at Unit 1 Gallery-Workshop (London).
How does your work for this exhibition relate to Uncertain Edges?
I’m including work that has to do with encroaching water, erosion and flooding: the ueverchanging edge between water and land. I think these days everyone is becoming more aware of the vulnerability of coastlines, and also about the importance of leaving tidal areas and flood plains to do what they do. I suppose for me there is also a psychological layer to such imagery as I often dream of watery places, dreams showing the uncertain edges between being awake and sleep and between conscious and subconscious thoughts.
Marcia Teusink
Can you explain your artistic process?
I tend to start by setting myself a topic and then researching and musing about it for a while. But if I get too tight about my thinking, it really helps to go for a wander and to let my eyes and mind roam, and let the world influence me. In the studio my process is really about focussed play - either with materials or images, in 3D or in 2D or video…seeing what happens when two or more things are put together. Usually the things I am really intentional about are less interesting and mistakes and happenstance lead to more exciting outcomes.
Marcia Teusink
Can you explain something about the content of your work and the inspiration/impetus behind it?
I’ve always been interested in the effect of weathering on man-made objects, how time and the elements soften edges and return more geometric forms to more organic shapes. Of course human actions affect nature as well, as we’ve witnessed lately: our use of fossil fuels has influenced weather patterns immensely, andextreeme weather events have been sending loud warning signals that we are way out of balance. Clearly the Western/Enlightenment thinking that there is some kind of separationg between human beings and nature has been misfounded and has led to major problems…
Marcia Teusink
How and where do you make your work?
I find inspiration in going for walks, in cities and in nature, going to flea markets, charity shops, and parks, and libraries and archives too. In my studio in Stamford Hill, London, I then have a play with what I bring back, whether it’s pants and model ships or photographs of historical documents and maps. These might turn into sculptures or paintings or videos. I enjoy responding to specific sites and situations best of all.
Marcia Teusink