Marc Swanson at Bellwether

Probably the first thing that one notices on viewing Marc Swanson's new show at Bellwether Gallery in Chelsea is the overwhelming variety of materials in use. From glitter, to t-shirts, to deer antlers and rhinestones, Swanson has a way of combining seemingly disparate elements into into forms that are seductive and metaphorical. The natural and the man-made rub up against one another and at times trade places. This is the case in a number of his pieces where t-shirts and underwear are treated and displayed such that they appear much closer to animal hides than underwear made in a factory. Swanson's use of glimmering rhinestones and glitter alongside unfinished wood and deer antlers again shows one how his formal talents have allowed him to bring together these different materials in a productive way. There is also a sense of some sort of ritualistic quality in the arrangement and composition of some of the pieces. The way that antlers are stacked or the pentagram forms that are repeated seem to hint at Pagan rituals and nature worship while his use of shiny man-made materials in these very pieces simultaneously pulls the viewer away from those Pagan references. I find these various sorts of dichotomies or elements of tension to be the most interesting and productive aspects of Swanson's work. While at first view one may be tempted to write off his work due to what seems like a fashionable attraction to luxurious materials, there is a lot to be gained from a closer inspection of his use of these sensitive and loaded materials.