With a practice that traverses drawing, photography, performance, film and installation, Marc Brandenburg first came to prominence during the 1990s with his distinctive graphite drawings. Working from his own photographs, taken on long walks through Berlin or Barcelona, he isolates figures or fragments from his surroundings in meticulously detailed pencil drawings, reversing the tonalities of light and dark as in photographic negatives. Depicting drug users, street performers, rough sleepers, protestors or football fans in isolated and suspended moments, his drawings freeze otherwise fleeting scenes in a state of permanence.
'Since the 2000s, the Berlin artist has concerned himself with images of roles and bodies, costumes and rituals outside the social norm, with hooligans, demo-clowns, homeless and mentally ill people,' writes author Oliver Koerner von Gustorf. 'Brandenburg's negative-reversed black-and-white drawings thematise the vision of a broken, violent society in which people are increasingly socially isolated, suffering mental illness and addiction. He is interested in those moments when inner and outer states merge, when a person blends with his clothing, his disguise or his improvised habitation.'
Brandenburg draws from a range of sources, including film, literature, urban cultures of the mid-20th century, activism and social segregation to consider themes of nonconformity, difference and isolation. His unconventional display strategies, such as the use of ultraviolet light, envelop the viewer in a totalising experience that is heightened by the unearthly glow. The inversion of light and dark becomes a negation of existing norms, a metaphor for the upending of the values of a society in which individuals who do not fit into the capitalist system are marginalised.
Born in Berlin, where he currently lives and works, Brandenburg grew up in Texas and Germany. In 2021, a retrospective was on view at PalaisPopulaire, Berlin and the Städel Museum, Frankfurt. His work has been shown in solo exhibitions at Kunstraum Potsdam (2018); Museen Stade (2015), Städtische Galerie Wolfsburg (2012) and Hamburger Kunsthalle (2011) in Germany; Denver Art Museum (2010) in the USA; and Museum für Moderne Kunst, Frankfurt (2005). He has also participated in group exhibitions at PalaisPopulaire, Berlin (2018); Rudolfinum, Prague (2016); Kunsthalle Bremen (2015); Moscow Museum of Modern Art (2014); ZKM Museum für Neue Kunst, Karlsruhe (2013); The Studio Museum in Harlem, New York (2011); and Gropius Bau, Berlin (2011). A comprehensive solo exhibition will be on view at Berlinische Galerie, Berlin in 2026.
2022
Marc Brandenburg: Hirnsturm II, Städel Museum, Frankfurt, Germany
2021
Marc Brandenburg: Hirnsturm II, PalaisPopulaire, Berlin, Germany
2020
Snowflake, Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, London, United Kingdom
Snowflake, Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris, France
2019
Unlimited section of Art Basel, curated by Gianni Jetzer
2018
Camouflage Pullover 1–12, Kunstraum Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
2017
Alpha St, Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Salzburg, Austria
2015
Zeichnung, Skulptur, Performance, Museen Stade, Stade, Germany
2013
Interior/Exterior, Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris, France
2012
Normex, Städtische Galerie Wolfsburg, Wolfsburg, Germany
2011
Marc Brandenburg, 032c Workshop, Berlin, Germany
Marc Brandenburg: Zeichnungen, Hamburger Kunsthalle, Hamburg, Germany
Mont Blanc Staircase Gallery, Hamburg, Germany
Off/site: Version, Wyoming Building, Goethe Institut New York, New York, NY, USA; The Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, NY, USA
2010
Isolated Imagery, Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Salzburg, Austria
Deutsch-Amerikanische Freundschaft, Denver Art Museum, Denver, CO, USA
Bonkers, Contemporary Fine Arts, Berlin, Germany
2008
Vomit, Form and Fictitious Movement, Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris, France
2007
Excerpts, Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Salzburg, Austria
Underground, U-Bahnhof Berlin Alexanderplatz, Neuen Gesellschaft für Bildende Kunst, Berlin, Germany
2006
TILT, Galerie Crone, Berlin, Germany
TILT, André Schlechtriem Contemporary, New York, NY, USA
2005
Marc Brandenburg, Museum für Moderne Kunst, Frankfurt, Germany
2004
Tiergarten, Galerie Crone, Berlin, Germany
Marc Branenburg, Kunstverein Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
2003
Hirnsturm, Galerie Crone, Berlin, Germany
Full Circle (Excerpts from Negrophobia), Kunstraum Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
2002
Marc Brandenburg, Chelsea Kunstraum, Cologne, Germany
Marc Brandenburg, Kuntraum Bonn, Bonn, Germany
Hirnsturm, Gallery Paul Morris, New York, NY, USA
2001
Full Circle, Laura Mars Group, Berlin, Germany
2000
White Rainbow, Contemporary Fine Arts, Berlin, Germany
1999
Meddle, XL Gallery, New York, NY, USA
1998
Draw Stranger, Plug In Gallery, Winnipeg, Canada
1996
The Dangling Conversation: From Electric Lane to Lavender Hill, Morris Healy Gallery, New York, NY, USA
1994
Marc Brandenburg, Galerie Fons Welters, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Teenage Topics and Metal Gurus, Galerie Martin Schmitz, Kassel, Germany
Marc Brandenburg, Contemporary Fine Arts, Berlin, Germany
1993
The House of deep essential Shit and Disco Therapeutics, Contemporary Fine Arts, Berlin, Germany
Oceans of Violence (mit Sabina Maria von der Linden), Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin, Germany
Marc Brandenburg & Attila Richard Lucas, I, Plug in Gallery, Winnipeg, Canada
Marc Brandenburg & Attila Richard Lucas, II, Gallery III, School of Art, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
Close to you, The Spectrum, Winnipeg, Canada
1992
Punk and Circumstances along theYellow Brick Road: Liebeskummer, Galerie Martin Schmitz, Kassel, Germany
1991
Zehn Tage im Leben, Kumpelnest 3000, Berlin, Germany
Entwine, Palais de Chaillot, Paris, France
1990
Adieu, Schneederbauer, Berlin, Germany
1989
Elf der legendären Gute Nacht Bilder, Schneederbauer, Berlin, Germany
2023
Dix und die Gegenwart, Deichtorhallen Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
2022
Broken Music Vol. 2: 70 Years of Records and Sound Works by Artists, Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart, Berlin, Germany
Modebilder-Kunstkleider, Berlinische Galerie, Berlin, Germany
2021
Charta #2 identity and narration-Frontviews, Berlin, Germany
Signature Piece, Städtische Galerie Wolfsburg, Wolfsburg, Germany
Studio Berlin, Berghain, Berlin, Germany
2020
Figure up, BcmA, Berlin, Germany
maximal radikal. Textile Objekte, Filme und Performances aus Ost und West von 1970 bis heute, Brandenburgisches Landesmuseum für moderne Kunst, Frankfurt an der Oder, Germany
Remember September, cur. Oliver Koerner von Gustorf & Frank Müller, ZWINGER Galerie, Berlin, Germany
2018
The world on paper, Palais Populaire, Berlin, Germany
Black is the new Black, Gußglashalle Kreuzberg, Berlin, Germany
Erotica, Erotica, Berlin, Germany
2017
German Encounters / Contemporary Masterworks from the Deutsche Bank collection, Qatar Museum, Qatar
Paperfile # - oqbo, Raum für Bild Wort Ton, Berlin, Germany
2016
Letztes Jahr in Marienbad, Galerie Rudolfinum, Prague, Czech Republic
The O.P.E.N – Singapore International Festival oft he Arts, Singapore
Zeichnungsräume, Hamburger Kunsthalle, Hamburg, Germany
Zeitgeist: Art da nova Berlin, CCBB / Goethe Institut, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Zeichnungsräume, Hamburger Kunsthalle, Hamburg, Germany
2015
So Far So Long, Centro Cultural Contemporáneo Pelaires, Palma de Mallorca, Spain
A man walks into a bar…, me Collectors Room Berlin, Berlin, Germany
DISEGNO, Zeichenkunst für das 21. Jahrhundert, Kupferstichkabinett, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, Dresden, Germany
Letztes Jahr im Marienbad, Kunsthalle Bremen, Bremen Germany
Zeitgeist-Arte de nova Berlin, CCBB / Goethe Institut, belo Horizonte Brazil
2014
Weltreise, Krasnoyarsk Museum Center, Krasnoyarsk, Russia
10, Halle am Berghain, Berlin, Germany
Kunst Ist Chef, WIMMERplus A GLOBAL NETWORK IN ART, Prien am Chiemsee, Germany
The Paths of German Art from 1949 to the present, Moscow Museum of Modern Art, Moscow, Russia
2013
Portraitgalerie, Bayerische Staatsoper, Munich, Germany
Weltreise / Kunst aus Deutschland unterwegs: Werke aus dem Kunstbestand des IFA 1949 bis heute, ZKM Museum für Neue Kunst, Karlsruhe, Germany
Forever Young: Über den Mythos der Jugend, Kunsthalle Nuremberg, Nuremberg, Germany
Disaster / The End of Days, Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris, France
Mozart-Bilder - Bilder Mozarts, Mozarteum, Salzburg, Austria
2012
16th Line, Rostov am Don, Russia
Tender Buttons, Berlin, Germany
KIDS, Contemporary Fine Arts Galerie, Berlin, Germany
Berlin zeichnet, Städtische Galerie Kiel, Kiel, Germany
Berlin zeichnet, Städtische Galerie Sindelfingen, Sindelfingen, Germany
Death can Dance, Townhouse Art Exhibit, Zürich, Switzerland
PAPER, Contemporary Fine Arts, Berlin, Germany
Berlin tut gut, 16th Line Gallery, Rostov-on-Don, Russia
2011
Collected, The Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, NY, USA
LINIE LINE LINEA, Museo Nacional de Artes Visuales, Montevideo, Uruguay
Kompass: Zeichnungen aus dem Museum of Modern Art New York, Martin Gropius Bau, Berlin, Germany
2010
Berlin zeichnet, Kunsthalle Dominikanerkirche, Osnabrück, Germany
Berlin zeichnet, Ludwig Museum, Koblenz, Germany
40 Jahre Gegenwart, 40 Künstler aus der Sammlung Deutsche Bank, Deutsche Bank Luxembourg, Luxembourg
There’s a tear in my beer, Berlin, Germany
Wings: der Flügel in der zeitgenössischen Kunst, Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Salzburg, Austria
JQKA, Galeria Joan Prats, Barcelona, Spain
LINIE LINE LINEA, Kunstmuseum Bonn, Bonn, Germany
The end of the line: Attitudes in drawing,a touring exhibition: Hayward Gallery, London, UK; MIMA Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, Middlesbrough, UK; The Bluecoat, Liverpool, UK; City Museum and Art Gallery, Bristol, UK; The Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh, UK
2009
Donation Thaddaeus Ropac, Museum der Moderne, Salzburg, Austria
SPiRitS, La Chose, Stadtbad Wedding, Berlin, Germany
Compass in Hand: Selections from the Judith Rothschild Foundation Contemporary Drawings Collection, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY, USA
The end of the line: Attitudes in drawing, City Museum and Art Gallery, Bristol, UK; The Bluecoat, Liverpool, UK; MIMA Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, Middlesbrough, UK
2008
Paul Thek: Werkschau im Kontext zeitgenössischer Kunst, Sammlung Harald Falckenberg, Hamburg, Germany
Just Different!, Cobre Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Marc Brandenburg / Heinz Peter Knes: Marlies - Unverstehen, September, Berlin, Germany
Gegen den Strich: Experimentierfeld Zeichnung, Bielefelder Kunstverein, Bielefeld, Germany
2007
Exposures: The Contemporary Self-Portrait, Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Salzburg, Austria
Great Expectations, Union Gallery, London, UK
10 Jahre Weltempfänger, Galerie der Gegenwart, Hamburger Kunsthalle, Hamburg, Germany
Gegen den Strich, Kunstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin, Germany
very asherbovenkerkerkbrandenburgvaneedenpalmesalic, Wetering Galerie, Amsterdam, Netherlands
2006
Abgebrannt, Kunstbank in der Berlinischen Galerie, Berlin, Germany
Das achte Feld - Geschlechter, Leben und Begehren in der Kunst seit 1960, Museum Ludwig, Cologne, Germany
Heimat als Utopie, Goethe Institut Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
2004
Emotion Eins, Ursula Blickle Stiftung, Kraichtal, Germany
Emotion Eins, Frankfurter Kunstverein, Frankfurt, Germany
Happy Days Are Here Again, David Zwirner Gallery, New York, NY, USA
Contemporary Art From Germany, European Central Bank, Frankfurt, Germany
Roots, The Harlem Studio Museum, New York, NY, USA
2003
Lebenslänglich 14, Laura Mars Group, Berlin, Germany
Blick aufs Ich, Kunstverein mannheim, Mannheim, Germany; Neues Museum Weserburg, Bremen, Germany
2002
Man in Middle, Deutsche Bank, Eremitage, St. Petersburg, Russia
Summer Show, Laura Mars Group, Berlin, Germany
2001
Group Show, Paul Morris Gallery, New York, NY, USA
2000
Ortsbegehung 6: paper marks, Neuer Berliner Kuntverein, Berlin, Germany
ANP at S&H de Buck, Gallery S&H de Buck, Ghent, Belgium
Paper marks, Kunstverein Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
1999
German Open, Deutsche Gegenwartskunst, Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg, Wolfsburg, Germany
Loveolution, XL Gallery, New York, NY, USA
Gallery Swap, Contemporary Fine Arts at Sadie Coles HQ, London, UK
1998
Draw, Stranger, Plug In Gallery, Winnipeg, Canada
1997
Infected Culture, Cubitt Gallery, London, UK
Art on paper, Weatherspoon Art Gallery, University of North Carolina, Greensboro, NC, USA
1995
Summer Exhibition 1995, Paul Morris Gallery, New York, NY, USA
Toms Erben, Schwules Museum, Berlin, Germany
A Bonnie Situation, Contemporary Fine Arts, Berlin, Germany
1994
Jonge Duitsers, Fons Welters, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Corpus Imperfectus, Montgomery Glasoe Fine Art, Minneapolis, MN, USA
1993
Multiple und Originale, Galerie Martin Schmitz, Kassel, Germany
1992
Die Hormone des Mannes, Schwules Museum, Berlin, Germany
Galerie der Glücklichen, Galerie Martin Schmitz, Kassel, Germany
Hausgeist, NGBK, Berlin, Germany
Austria
Museum der Moderne, Salzburg
Germany
Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main
Berlinische Galerie, Berlin
Kupferstichkabinett, Berlin
Kupferstichkabinett, Dresden
Hamburger Kunsthalle, Hamburg
Museum für Moderne Kunst, Frankfurt
IFA – Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen, Stuttgart
Sammlung der Bundesrepublik Deutschland
Kupferstichkabinett Dresden, Dresden
Städtische Galerie Wolfsburg, Wolfsburg
Bayerische Staatsoper, Munich
USA
The Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY
Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, NY
2016
Artist in Residence / Goethe Institute, Wellington, New Zealand
2005
Karl-Ströher-Preis der Stadt Frankfurt, Germany
Senatsstipendium der Stadt Berlin, Germany
Artist in Residence / Villa Romana, Florence, Italy
2002
Kunstfond Bonn e.V./ Arbeitsstipendium, Bonn, Germany