HEARTBURN (Remake U.F. Health & Beauty) Sculpture

There should be applause. Markl's art, not unlike Dan Graham's, stands as an archetype of the post-postmodern style or Post-Conceptualism. At the time he began working, American and European art was somehow labeled as Neo-Pop and Neo-Geo: probably as a part of a 80s movement in reaction against the highly evolved intricacy of Conceptualism, Minimalism and the Junge Wilde (German for "wild youth", was originally applied to trends within the art world of the late 70s and early 80s). But progressively, and in large part at the hands of Markl himself, the postconceptual non-complexities of the late Neo-Geo emerged once more, moderated and disciplined by new forms, and adapted to a new aesthetic and social milieu. Markl was-and still is a versatile artist, and worked in every major genre, including installation, live music; video, sound and light installations have become an integral part of his exhibitions. These forms were not new; but Markl advanced the technical sophistication and emotional reach of them all. He almost single-handedly revised the post-postmodern concept. He somehow rewrote a great deal of art theory with his latest drawing series IQ, including other forms of light and heavy entertainment. The central traits of the postmodern style are all transformed in Markl's art? Clarity, balance, and transparency are the hallmarks of his work, but any simplistic notion of its delicacy masks the exceptional power of his finest masterpieces, such as the sculptures LINK, and his latest exhibition, at Eva Presenhuber Gallery, with the most haunting and suggestive title you can think of: "One day 1917, while his director was out sick with a hangover, John Ford made his first feature. VOICE OF JOHN FORD: ...". Roberta Smith makes the point forcefully: A little-known Vietnam-era protest by Donald Judd inverts the American flag into orange, green and black fabric, looking back to Jasper Johns and forward to David Hammons. Ulay's S'He, a 1975 Polaroid triptych of himself, a Yugoslavian performance artist, presents male and female profiles and their androgynous, full-face fusion. Hugo Markl's 2005 Nosy, a large color photograph of a bathtub of oatmeal, suggests vomit or decomposing flesh ... It is only through recognizing the violence and sensuality at the center of Markl's work that we can make a start towards a comprehension of his structures and an insight into his magnificence.