Works on Paper

In the paintings of Marko Zeman, we can clearly sense the pulse of a new reality—one that, through the consciously monotonous repetition of geometric graphic patterns in a distinct zigzag form, reflects the cacophony of contemporary society and the fragmented realities we navigate each day.

While Zeman’s collage technique in these new works may cheerfully and nostalgically recall Mimmo Rotella’s décollages—where torn film posters revealed forgotten layers of reality, later reassembled into his iconic double décollages—Zeman introduces a deeper social and ecological dimension that resonates with the spirit of our time. His compositions are not driven by fascination with pop culture or visual and cinematic trends, nor is his use of found materials a gesture of Dadaist rebellion or Surrealist satire. Rather, it signals how contemporary artists can work inventively and resourcefully, even with limited means. Zeman’s approach affirms that creativity need not be constrained by material limitations. Through this, he builds a new level of artistic self-awareness and inventiveness—one that, upon closer interpretation, reveals his ecological and urban consciousness as he repurposes discarded posters with socially meaningful intent.

Zeman’s large, visually vibrant and pulsating compositions also echo the visual texture of Kulmer’s late-1970s cycles, in which the painter employed V and Z shapes as modular units to create dense, woven pictorial fields. Like Kulmer, Zeman avoids a central focal point; instead, his canvases become harmoniously energized surfaces. However, while Kulmer invoked mythological themes and meditated on the exhaustion of European civilization, Zeman channels the vital energy of a post-rock and post-punk generation—a generation still alert, engaged, and not yet dulled by apathy. His rhythmic, iconic motifs are infused with a subtle psychedelia rooted in pop, rock, and punk cultures, graphically enriched by bold pastel and fluorescent elements interwoven throughout the collage. There is no visual cacophony here; instead, a refined graphic sensibility runs consistently through the entire series.

Whether evoking the intricate weaves of Persian or South American textiles, or the pixelated patterns of a frozen video frame, Zeman’s new works reflect a distinct creative, stylistic, and morphological shift. They embody the complexity of perception in the urban experience of today’s youth—visually mapping how a new generation reads, processes, and reimagines reality.

Text by Iva Körbler