Marius Brem: Playground

Vernissage 23.02.24. 19-22Uhr

A playground is primarily a space; the ground merely holds it. The infrastructure within, at best, offers a variety of interactive possibilities. Fantasies are welcome, and can be projected on to the solid, reliable structures so that it becomes possible to physically move through the imagination. The emerging stories can be individual, but are more often collective, continually co- created and responded to by each participant. One moment we explore a spaceship, then its a castle, then the floor turns to lava as a dragon flies overhead.

As children, such kinds of immersive and creative play are integral to social and individual development, and indeed they remain useful tools for personal growth throughout our lives. In the many schools of psychotherapy, different forms of play are often crucial methods for exploring and integrating underdeveloped aspects of a personality. Creative play allows for different possible responses to a situation to be explored, leading to a wider field of responsive possibilities in other moments in life.

While the objects that make up the installation Playground are the result of the playful process of one artist (with a little help from his friends), this is merely the infrastructure that invites projection and imaginative interaction. Each painting, each sculpture is offered as a potential for creative engagement, a surface to carry a story, a toy to play with. Suggestions of how one could playfully move through the space and respond to the work are available, and coming up with rules for your own games is encouraged.

As in any playground, there are certain rules to be followed: Any interaction between people in the space, and between people and objects, should be guided by Respect, Care and Consent. Ask consent of both a person, and an object before playing with them. The object will only answer if you listen carefully. With this in mind, come and play!