Press release

The Engholm Engelhorn Galerie is pleased to present the first solo exhibition of British artist Mark Hosking (born 1971) in Vienna.

Engaged in the issue of the background textures of human existence rather than focusing on specific formal aspects or limiting his work to a conceptually narrow theme, the artist is known for his sculptures. With his objects, he not only provokes a confrontation with our (western) affluent society - (it is not a coincidence that his "social sculptures" often recall the equipment we believe to know from fitness studios) - In his work, he offers very simple, essential processes such as sleeping, eating and drinking.

Mark Hosking has made a series of hybrid sculptures which operate as solar cookers in function while referreing to the tradition of Modernist constructed sculpture in form. He has actively absorbed the lessons available from United Nations pamphlets on sustainable development and so-called survivalist technology. These functional construction guides are allied with a fidelity to the history of Modernist sculpture, thus exploring the fundamental dialectic between function and form. The resulting sculptures are unique idiosyncratic inventions of complex heritage.

His work presents a built-complexity in that the sculptures are functional as well as aesthetic and thus can be approached from completely different angles. The utilitarian function of his objects clearly opposes their formal aesthetic value. If there is an appreciation of the object formally, it is possible to involve the viewer into the process of recognizing the revealed functionality and the potential of these mechanism. By which point the viewer already has a
relationship with the object and so becomes implicated in the wider dilemma.

For his last solo exhibition at Galerie Ludovic de Wawrin in Paris, he created a new body of works, sexy and glamourous at the first sight, despite their brilliant functionality. Symbols of wealth and beauty, e.g. elegant Chanel shoes, are being transformed into essential means of basic survival such as tools for fishing and trapping, thus elucidating the clash
between contemporary art and reality.

In addition to solo exhibitions in Paris and in London at IBID Projects, Hosking also participated in group exhibitions at The Saatchi Gallery, the I.C.A. (London)and more recently at the Bloomberg Space.