Two nude figures occupy a sparse space furnished only with a bathtub, a stool, and a Byzantine pointed arch. The first, long-haired, stands in the tub, leaning backward while holding the shower head over its face. The stream of water forms an invisible halo around its body. The second figure, seated neatly within the narrow space of the undersized arch, faces the other but lowers its gaze in a posture that is either relaxed or resigned, its right hand raised to scratch its head or arrange its short red hair.
An architect friend quipped, “This is what happens when you don’t work with an architect.” The remark is perfectly on point, as the scene described above offers little more to the rational, ordering mind than what has already been said. The arrangement of shapes and colors that structure the picture creates a rupture of logic and of a nameable, palpable reality. The conflation of the two modes is what forms the substance of the murky waters of inner life, the distortions of dreamwork, the turbulences of emotion, and poetry. If Mark van Yetter‘s pictures don‘t exactly reference concrete events or situations, they are, however, echoes of reality, filtered through a lyrical, comical, or satirical lens, sometimes tinged with sadness and wonder at the cruelty of the world.
Mark van Yetter’s practice is grounded in painting, at times accompanied in exhibitions by sculptural elements or interventions, whether constructed or found. Central to this commitment is his enduring use of paper as the primary support for his paintings, works that move between the intimate and the monumental in effect. Nemesis presents a new series of modestly sized unframed paintings set against the backdrop of a modular hand-printed wallpaper that extends across the walls of our space.
Mark van Yetter (born 1978 in Pennsylvania) lives and works in Berlin. Over the past twenty years, his work has been shown internationally in galleries and institutions, including Kunsthalle St. Gallen, Salzburger Kunstverein, Kunsthalle Stavanger, KunstWerk e.V., Bridget Donahue, Ebensperger, Micky Schubert, and others. In 2009, he co-founded Marquise Dance Hall, an independent exhibition space in Istanbul, which he ran until 2013.
Alongside his artistic practice, Mark van Yetter has for many years dedicated himself to the collection and digital preservation of historic vernacular recordings. From November 2021 to January 2023, he hosted The Hour of Music Music Hour on Cashmere Radio, a program drawn from his record collection. You can listen to all 14 episodes here.
UPCOMING IN OCTOBER
Listening Evening with Mark van Yetter – Selections from his collection of historic music recordings from around the world, spanning 1910 and 1950. Thursday, 9. October, 2025, from 8 to 9:30 pm. Doors open at 7:30 pm
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An edition of 20 posters accompanying the exhibition is available for purchase. Please contact us for availability and details.
STATIONS would like to thank Mark van Yetter for the exhibition and the continued support of our programme, Bridget Donahue, and Federico Gargaglione for his help.
