Ground & Figure, Figure & Ground

This is a remarkable and extensive monograph on the work of the Dutch artist and sculptor Marien Schouten (b. 1956, NL). Like a director, the artist was in complete control of the creative process, from the composition and autobiographical structure of the texts to the graphic design and layout of the book. This makes 'Ground & Figure, Figure & Ground' a comprehensive overview, and a unique encounter with the artist. With text contributions by Hans Janssen, Ulrich Loock, Ernst van Alphen, and Marien Schouten. 'Increasingly I accepted the impulses of intuition to direct my choices. I see it as the artist’s role to make the subconscious less opaque, to slightly alter its borders and make them porous. One way of familiarizing yourself with a motif which meaning you don’t fully understand, is repetition. A motif, when repeated in different contexts and combined with other motifs or performed in various media, accumulates its own history. Each repetition reveals the motif’s characteristics in a new light. Over time, the motif becomes more familiar and articulated. The need to analyze its origin becomes less, it has become a new reality.' - Marien Schouten