Marta Marce
Playroom

17 September 2004 - 23 October 2004



Riflemaker's fourth show, which coincides with the Frieze Art Fair, is a special newbuild by Spanish painter Marta Marce, who will turn the Riflemaker upstairs space into a boardgame. How to describe these joyous, intensely coloured works made in China and London in Spring 2004 ?

Marta Marce's paintings celebrate life, its imperfections, its energy, its progress, its flame. There is life in each measured brushstroke, humanity in the positives and negatives of each colour and line, beauty in every hoop
and saucer. These are paintings which are full of humanity. A humanity which is captured and hopefully survives in the work's physical manifestation.

Her fabric, backgrounds, building block shapes and kodacolor circles are influenced by the designs of games. Children's games, with loops, zig-zags, spider lines, bricks, discs, spinning tops. Old men's crosswords, the gambler's diamond casino boards, toy cubes, baby string, confetti, tags, counters and dice throws.
In this celebration of life and its imperfections, the work itself is also very live-ly. Shapes jump and spin, twist and bounce. Joyous movements are constantly being transformed like life itself. Connecting triangle points, interlocking jigsaw edges, harmonic arcs, mini stage sets - these have become her vocabulary, her big ideas,
her bag of sweets, her sun, her sky.

This alphabet, which was almost fully formed early on, in her nominations for the Jerwood Prize and John Moores, is unique, and like all great artists, Marce is always progressing, turning herself inside out, and getting herself into all kinds of trouble.

Won't you come out to play ?

Marta Marce - 'Playroom' is at Riflemaker from 17th September- 23rd October Private View: Friday, 17th September