Marc Standing

Marc Standing’s iconic and haunting paintings have developed along a complex path of progression. Driven by an innate compulsion to paint, Standing explores tension felt by a personal search for identity, embodied by complexities felt by a mass consciousness – one which has been left with toxic traces of colonialism. This is what packs such a punch in Standing’s work – worldly layering of textures and imagery which evoke a surreal clarity in the viewer. Standing’s eerie yet peaceful paintings use a palette and compositional platform, mixed with sinister imagery to explore the tensions felt between light and dark; comfort and discomfort; a sense of belonging and a sense of void.

In describing his work, Standing says, “…in my current painting practice I have been using a lot of layering with the intention of barraging the viewer with a plethora of pictorial stimulus. Images derived from nature bleed and blend amongst more sinister imagery portraying a narrative that embraces the notion of both dreamscape and nightmare. Storytelling and imagination fuse into a visual mirage of wonderment.”

Standing holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honors) from the University of Cape Town, South Africa. His works have been shown extensively throughout Australia and have also been included in prominent Australian art prizes, as well as a commission work for The Groucho Club in London, a nominee for the Sovereign Asian Art Prize, and acquired by Artbank in Australia. His work has also been exhibited in New York, London, Holland, Hong Kong, South Africa and Zimbabwe. Standing has recently returned to Australia after several years living and working in Hong Kong.

Marc Standing

Born 1976 in Zimbabwe. Lives and works in Hong Kong and Sydney.

Education

1999 BFA (Hons), University of Cape Town, South Africa

Solo Exhibitions

2016
The Oracles, Anna Pappas Gallery, Melbourne
The Eternal Return, The Cat Street Gallery, Hong Kong

2015
The Shadow Men, King Street Gallery, Sydney

2014
The Mystics, The Cat Street Gallery, Hong Kong

2013
The Phosphorescence, King Street Gallery, Sydney
Lost Wonders, Anna Pappas Gallery, Melbourne
The Duchess of Avon, Trink Tank Tank, Melbourne

2011
Waking Me Forever, Brenda May Gallery, Sydney

2009
Terra Australis Incognita, Brenda May Gallery, Sydney
The Unknown Land of the South, Dickerson Gallery, Melbourne

2008
Teraphim, Brenda May Gallery, Sydney
The Playground, South Coast Gallery, Wellington

2007
New Painting, Brenda May Gallery, Sydney

2006
Waking Dreams; An Australian Portrait, Noosa Regional Gallery, Noosa, Australia

2004
The Human Wreckage, Gallery Wawana, Maastricht, Holland

2003
Metamorphia, Gallery Wawana, Maastricht, Holland

2002
A Post Apocalyptic Independence, Gallery Wawana, Maastricht, Holland

2001
Psychosis, Gallery Delta, Harare, Zimbabwe

Selected Group Exhibitions

2016
Teleportation, Art labor, Shanghai
Art Central Hong Kong, Anita Beckers Gallery, Frankfurt

2015
Sydney Contemporary, Glenfiddich Stand, Sydney
New York Now! 015, Factory Arts Project, New York
Art Index Fair, Fitch Alliance, Mumbai

2014
Platform for Emerging Artists, Leyden Gallery, London
Dreaming in Colour, Art Labor, Shanghai
Art Athina, Anna Pappas Gallery, Athens
Art Tapei, The Cat Street Gallery, Taipei

2013
Art Athina, Anna Pappas Gallery, Athens
Wonder Works, The Space, Art HK 2013, Cat Street Gallery, Hong Kong.
Affordable Art Fair, Cat Street Gallery, Hong Kong
Project 13, Jamais Vu, Anna Pappas Gallery, Melbourne
Looking Forward’, King Street Gallery, Sydney

2012
Operation Smile, The Space, Hong Kong.
A Verdant Heart, King Street Gallery, Sydney
Five Bells, Damien Minton Gallery, Sydney
Work on Paper, Jeffrey Leder Gallery, New York
International Painting NYC, Jeffrey Leder Gallery, New York
The Sketch Book Project: The Limited Edition, Brooklyn Library, New York
Lightbombs Pop Up Exhibition, Art East Island, HK12, Hong Kong

2011
Body Language, Brenda May Gallery, Sydney
LA Art Show, Skotia Gallery, Los Angeles Convention Center, Los Angeles
Vista Wellington Art Fair, South Coast Gallery, Academy of Fine Arts, Wellington

2010
Snowballs and Disco, Amelia Johnson Contemporary, Hong Kong

2009
On Paper, Dickerson Gallery, Melbourne
Off The Wall, Art Melbourne 09, Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne

2008
Melbourne Art Fair, Brenda May Gallery, Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne
Memento Mori, Brenda May Gallery, Sydney
Narrative, Brenda May Gallery, Sydney
Shelf Life, Delmar Gallery, Sydney

2007
I’m as Mad as Hell’, Brenda May Gallery, Sydney
Art Melbourne 07’, Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne

2006
New Breed, Global Gallery, Sydney

2003
Zimbabwe Now, The Royal Academy, The Hague, Holland
Artists for Zimbabwe, Gallery 27, Cork Street, London, UK.

2002
Business As Usual, Harare International Arts Festival [HIFA], National Gallery, Harare, Zimbabwe.

2001
Mobil Heritage Exhibition, National Gallery, Harare, Zimbabwe.

2000
Ikons, Gallery Delta, Harare, Zimbabwe
Works on Paper, Gallery Delta, Harare, Zimbabwe

Selected Media & Publications

2015
Steven Peterman & Sara Elands Peterman, The Sketchbook Project World Tour, Princeton Architectural Press.

2013
Dan Rule, ‘Your Weekend: in the galleries’, The Age, 16 March 2013.
Robert Nelson, ‘Bodies cast in a state of sexual ambiguity’, The Age, 13 March 2013.
‘Four locals in running for region’s biggest art prize’, South China Morning Post, 31 January.
The Works aired on TVB Pearl, Hong Kong, 5 March 2013.
Kevin Junk, CORNER Magazine interview, March 2013, thecornermagazine.com.
Alan Pigot, ‘Natural Wonder’, YouTube, 29 January 2013.

2012
Steve Meacham, ‘Sparkle and shade’, Sydney Morning Herald.
Queens Ledger, ‘International Art Meets New York City’, 12 January.

2009
‘Profiles’, Art Almanac, September: 195.

2008
Human Rights Defender, vol 17 # 3, December, back cover.

Awards & Residencies

2016 Shortlisted, Redland Art Prize, Redland Art Gallery, QLD
2015 One & Only residency, Reethi Rah, Maldives
2014   Justice Center Choice Award, Human Rights Art Prize, Sundaram Tagore Gallery, Hong Kong
2014 Finalist, Waterhouse Natural Science Art Prize, South Australian Museum, Adelaide
2014 Arquetopia, Day of the Dead residencey, Puebla, Mexico
2014 Finalist, Redlands Konica Minolta Art Prize, National Art School, Sydney
2013   Highly Commended, Clayton Utz Art Prize, Clayton Utz, Brisbane
2013 Sovereign Asian Art Prize, Espace Louis Vuitton, Singapore
2012 Finalist, Clayton UTZ Art Award, Utz Gallery Brisbane
2012 Finalist, John Fries Memorial Art Prize, Gaffa Gallery, Sydney
2012 Finalist, Wilson Visual Arts Award, Lismore, Australia
2012 Finalist, Lethbridge Art Award, Lethbridge Gallery, Brisbane
2009 Finalist, City of Whyalla Art Prize, Whyalla, South Australia
2009 Finalist, Banyule City Works on Paper Award, Melbourne
2009 Finalist, Hazelhurst Work on Paper Art Award, Hazelhurst Regional Gallery, Gymea, Australia
2009 Finalist, Callen Art Award, Cowra Regional Gallery, Cowra, Australia
2007 Finalist, Churchie Emerging Art Award, Brisbane
2007   Finalist, Regional Art Awards, Pinnacles Gallery, Thuringowa & Raw Space Gallery, Brisbane
2006 Finalist, Regional Art Awards, Queensland, Australia
2005 Viewer’s Choice Award, Regional Art Award, Queensland, Australia

Selected Collections

The Groucho Club, London, United Kingdom
Artbank, Sydney, Australia