Marco Riha
Originally from Austria, Marco Riha started his long creative journey in Sri Lanka in 1995. After painting and traveling for some years, he found his creative home base in Mexico.
André Breton describes Surrealism as ‘psychic automatism in its pure state’. For decades Riha has been experimenting with this automatic painting technique, unaware of being a modern-day Surrealist. The self-taught artist drew encouragement from a Québécois resplendent anarchistic art movement called Les Automatistes. Their unacademic, 'total refusal' approach to art provided Riha with a home in art history.
Experimentations with all types of mediums include a long fascination with oils on canvas - a symbolic period filled with therapeutic releases, inner and outer travel logs and first screams in color. The 'colorDrops' series from 2014 mark the beginning of the artist's abstract works. This current period includes socio-political pieces about liberty, tolerance, ecocide, division and unity.
Marco Riha has been published in several international art magazines and his work has been shown worldwide, in venues like the Saatchi and FOLD Gallery in London, the Fondazione Palmieri in Lecce, Italy, the Rome Art Week or most recently at Arte Bratislava Castle in Slovakia.
Surrealism was initially a revolutionary response to the chaos of the world in the early 20th century. Considering your recent work and public statements, how do you see the parallels between the societal upheavals of the early 1900s and today's global challenges? How does this historical context influence your current artistic expressions?
It has been a long process, from my initial therapeutic releases to the awareness of being a contemporary Surrealist in every way. Sadly, there are parallels between the upheavals of the early 1900s and today. The Surrealists then were at the brink of a world war, just coming out of a flu pandemic.Their revolutionary approach to art, which was oppressing one’s reason to give great sway to the subconscious, was a direct result to the fact, that the world had lost its reason. And here we are again, history repeating itself, and I find myself in the unique position of continuing with this tradition of being a playful provocateur who in a true Surrealist manner doesn’t plan his artistic expressions.
André Breton defined Surrealism as "psychic automatism in its pure state," a concept you have explored extensively through your automatic painting technique. How do you balance the subconscious flow of automatism with the conscious thematic choices in your work, particularly when addressing complex issues like liberty and ecocide?
Since 1995, before I ever knew such a thing as psychic automatism exited, I paint instinctively. Pouring paint on a surface and see what wants to be created. At first during my symbolic period, figurative dreamlike beings appeared. Later on, I started experimenting with abstract concepts, but my modus operandi always stayed the same. It is only after a painting is completed, when I contemplate the result and meditate on its deeper meaning, do I come up with titles. The same happened with ‘wall-melt’, my piece on liberty and ‘crocodile on fire’, my work on ecocide. It is as if my subconscious became more socio-political over the course of my life.
Over the years, you’ve worked with a range of mediums, but oils on canvas have marked a significant period in your career. Can you discuss how the choice of medium impacts the message, especially in your socio-political pieces? Does the physicality of oil painting influence the thematic intensity of your work?
I have experimented with all sorts of mediums and also shapes of the canvas. For a while I used round, triangle or rhombus shapes to help me break out of the box. But the choice of medium does not impact the message, nor does it influence its thematic intensity. As described above, the themes simply appear. Besides a handful of paintings I planned, like ‘lotutsland’, ‘there is a crack in everything’ or my latest ‘infinity’, Surrealist automatism has been my preferred technique because I get to be surprised by the outcome myself.
The influence of the Québécois Les Automatistes is evident in your approach to art. Could you elaborate on how their philosophy of 'total refusal' and unacademic art has shaped your own rejection of traditional artistic norms and the way you approach contemporary subjects?
I was introduced to Les Automatistes by the father of my long-time partner, love & muse Nadja, actually named after André Breton’s novel. I found it to be a fascinating resplendent anarchistic art movement that helped shape modern Canada. Learning about their total refusal, ‘untamed need for liberation’ approach to art, gave me, as a self-taught artist the necessary confidence to continue my unique unacademic explorations and provided me with a home in art history.
Your exhibitions, from Saatchi Gallery to Arte Bratislava Castle, place your work on a global stage. How do you tailor your work to engage with diverse international audiences, especially when tackling universally relevant themes like division and unity?
By the time, my art got some international recognition, I had been painting for over two and a half decades. I was glad to see the world slowly take notice, but did not change my way of creating art, as I will always stay loyal to Surrealist automatism.
You've described parts of your career as periods of therapeutic release. How does the process of creating art function as therapy for you. Furthermore, how do you hope your works provide a form of catharsis or reflection for your audience?
Art is therapy to me, during my long creative journey, it represented at times pure survival at other times maintaining my sanity. It helped me shed themes, that were hard to swallow, offer an escape or opportunity to create utopias. Ultimately it helped me heal. Screaming in colors became my favorite catch phrase. I can only wish for my audience to feel some of the ‘blood, sweat, tears & dreams for a better world’ that went into my art work.
You mentioned a desire to connect with fellow artists who are also responding to the world's current irrationalities. How important is community and collaboration to you in the context of creating art? Are there specific artists or movements today that you see as kindred spirits in your pursuit of modern Surrealism?
Community is very important to me, I am lucky to have kindred spirits here in Mexico and Austria where I regularly visit. Even two little artist circles have shaped over the years in both countries with artist friends to exchange ideas with. On a global scale, I have been awaiting an outcry from the art world, but I believe there is hope. In a recent ArtBasel Barcelona post, I read a quote by Elvira Dyangani Ose, director of MACBA: ‘I notice an enthusiasm for rebellion and rejecting conventional norms…’
Given Surrealism's historical roots in rejecting authoritarianism and embracing liberation, in what ways do you believe Surrealism continues to serve as a vehicle for political and social activism? Can art still shock and provoke in an age saturated with images and information?
I totally believe Surrealism can still be a vehicle for change and if it is only a change in perspective. I feel to playfully poke fun at the status quo, is more important than ever. Yes, the challenge is who will listen & see in these times of overstimulation, Interviews like this might help.
As we mark a century of Surrealism, what is your vision for the future of this movement? Do you foresee a resurgence or transformation of Surrealist practices in response to current global crises, and how do you see yourself contributing to this evolving landscape?
Yes, I do foresee a resurgence of Surrealism, especially in this centennial birthday year of a very important art movement in art history. Since I learned it is the automatic method of creating art, that makes a Surrealist, it is bound to be a movement that never dies. Of course I see myself spearheading this trend:)
In a reel, where I quote the New York Times headline from February this year: ‘Surrealism Is 100. The World Is Still Surreal.’ I added an audio of Salvador Dalí saying: ‘es evidente que existen otros mundos’ (it is evident that other worlds exist) plus the simple message:
‘The World Needs Surrealists Again’
