Swiss artist Marc Bauer (b. 1975) was commissioned to create the fifth installment of the ephemeral wall drawing series at the Menil Drawing Institute.
This 36-foot-wide charcoal and pastel mural, titled RESILIENCE, Drawing the Line, 2023, combines powerful imagery from art history with contemporary references to create a thought-provoking narrative.
Fascinated by how images circulate through society, Bauer uses sources ranging from personal family albums to cable and social news streams which he reconfigures into a prismatic view of history, culture, and politics. He likens this process to a kind of witnessing, a deliberate and deeply personal way of seeing and understanding the world. For this piece, Bauer layers images of manmade disaster and patriarchal violence alongside depictions of resistance, aid, and affection. His images evoke political battles over climate justice, humane migration policy, and the rights of marginalized communities.
The work has evolved over its yearlong display and the final iteration of the drawing is now on view.
This series began in 2018 as part of the institute’s commitment to seeking new approaches to the form and language of drawing. Past participating artists include Mel Bochner, Marcia Kure, Jorinde Voigt, and Roni Horn.
