Marcel van den Berg

Lives and works in Amsterdam, Netherlands

Artist statement

In his work Marcel van den Berg (1978, NL) prefers to turn towards the aesthetics of graffiti and street culture as a guide. Informed by Pan African, Rastafari and Afrocentric Futurism his work is also very strongly influenced by Funk, Hip Hop, Jazz, Reggae, Electro and Techno music. Messages in the music about injustice, racism, social ills, but also pride and joy are transformed in strong visual elements. His artistic practice consists of drawing, painting, sculpture, ceramics, installation, photography. Van den Berg also performs as a DJ and hosts a monthly Pan African show called Rice Peas Roots and Culture at online radiostation Echobox Radio. Artistic production is not an illustration of a concept, Van den Berg thinks in material and opportunities. Work is produced, shown, destroyed (deliberately or not), recontextualized or re-used. With this method Van den Berg wants to question the shelf life of terms such as (de)construction, use, re-use and abuse, hierarchy. His work can be seen as a continious jam session and depicts a rhythm or intensity rather than an finished image per se. Van den Berg's work has been presented in numerous institutions such as Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Amsterdam Museum, Van Abbemuseum Eindhoven, Buro Stedelijk, TENT Rotterdam and can be found in private collections worldwide and in the public collections of Van Abbemuseum Eindhoven (NL), Contemporary Art Museum Moengo (SU), The Black Archives, Amsterdam (NL), Dutch Graffiti Library,...

Artwork