Marcus Jansen, a globally renowned contemporary artist whose bold, emotionally charged works confront the complexities of modern life. Known for his distinctive fusion of street art, abstract expressionism, and social commentary, Jansen’s paintings explore themes of power, surveillance, and the human condition in an ever-changing world. From his early roots in graffiti culture to international acclaim, his journey is as compelling as the art he creates.
ARTCOLLECTORNEWS: Your exhibition Faceless in Stockholm brings together both new and unseen works. Can you describe how this collection reflects your ongoing exploration of themes like colonialism, capitalism and human connection?
Michael Elmenbeck the director of CF Hill, in collaboration with my global representation at Almine Rech, curated the exhibition based on works that he felt were pertinent to today’s political and economical conversations. They were presented inside the Arme Museum, in Stockholm, which could not have been a better fit. All the works were shown for the first time in public. The portraits are critical statements of colonialist figures that have been typically hailed as heroes through a “European-American” lens and viewpoint. The show turns that entire notion upside-down and interrogates these beliefs visually. It examines the historic connection between capitalism, colonialism and at the core of both, white supremacy that has always connected the two.
Unlike my first Faceless works with men in corporate attire as a sort of standard uniform, in 2011, the Colonizer series started in 2015 with the first work being “Art is the New Founding Father” 108” x 88”, with a Snow White’s distorted head questioning the very essence of colonizers’ power, identity and our own place in history in connection with them. The most recent painting in that size was the work shown at CF Hill titled “At The Root,” in which a similar, but this time a contemporary business figure, is interrogated in an isolated room. The work draws parallels to my 2015 work, but set in the present time.
The superior painted portraits from the past are no longer realistically pretty paintings, but instead collapsing, or constructed in a way that attempts to connect history with contemporary references. This crossover allows the viewer to experience the figures refreshed—instead of powerful figures, as crumbling or captive positions, and in some cases through a reversed, mocking lens.
ARTCOLLECTORNEWS: Having grown up between New York City and Germany, you’ve had exposure to both street art and the traditions of European painting. How have these distinct environments shaped your artistic language, and how do you merge these influences in your work?
I think the exposure was fundamental to expanding my personal understanding of the world around me outside of New York City, but in particular, the introduction to European art, culture and history at large. It gave me comparisons to learn from that opened me up to seeing the world through various lenses as an outsider and insider at the same time. My Bronx, New York, roots collide distinctly with polished European culture, posing more questions than answers to me regarding economics and race relations. New York and Germany, for example, were two of the leading locations where graffiti art and street art grew dramatically in different directions, and I took note, observing both closely. I studied abstract expressionists, but even more so in the 80’s with New York-based artists like WEST, who introduced me to the culture and the genre in Manhattan. I admired DAIM in Germany and SHOE in Amsterdam, as well as German expressionist painters’ works that were all rooted in a rebellious response, speaking during times of war and poverty. It is these forms of art that appealed to me while later trying to compose work in my own vocabulary. All these elements were first introductions to what later developed in what you see today.
ARTCOLLECTORNEWS: Can you talk about how your personal background—growing up between two very different cultures—has shaped your perspective on identity and exclusion, and how these themes find expression in Faceless?
New York City in the 1960’s and 70’s was a very unique place to experience. There was simply nothing to compare it to, even to this day, certainly not a rigged post-war Germany that was in every way the opposite. I grew up in a mostly Caribbean family. In Germany, I was met with severe racism as the only child of color in my school coming from a predominantly African American, Caribbean and Jewish immigrant community in New York City. The economic and racial demographics were overwhelmingly different, which prompted me to start looking at myself and both places more critically, wondering why one place looked vastly different from the other. So my first conversations around race hierarchy and economic contrasts may have started then. It wasn’t until much later in life that I realized my experiences were directly tied to the colonial power structures, and the mindset it enforces to pose questions in my work and began a quest to investigate it. My father, being a critical historian, made my introduction to this critique easy. I began my own process after my military experience and seeing/being part of the power structure in action.
ARTCOLLECTORNEWS: In your work, there is a tension between the personal and the political, the visible and the hidden. Do you believe that art, by its nature, has the ability to uncover or even challenge these hidden structures of power, or does it simply reflect them?
My art has challenged previous held positions over time, based on the reactions I have gotten and the conversations I have had with viewers, in particular at the show in Stockholm, where Swedish audiences were very curious to know more. The tension created in the works is created by placing paradoxes and figures in unusual compositions—painterly, as well as in an unusual historical context. Art can help in visual terms to disrupt out-of-date narratives in a multicultural and globally interacting society today.
%20(1).png)
ARTCOLLECTORNEWS: In Faceless, you explore the intersection of history, power, and human connection. How do you think our personal identities are shaped by the larger systems around us?
Our personal identities are almost completely formed by these man made structures, but the chore of keeping it going embodies the “divide and conquer” method, using one group to believe they are exceptional or superior to other groups. We have a real problem with that in the United States today. Identity becomes shaped by not just the colonization of places, but more so by the colonization of minds and beliefs through narratives that are traditionally repeated while those of the oppressed are erased or dismissed. All human beings are products of the stories we have been told, and this is something that paintings give us the power to question while giving the viewer time to digest and dissect these challenging images. At today’s fast-moving pace, not many things give us that time to critically think.
ARTCOLLECTORNEWS: Street art had a big influence on your early work. Do you think there’s a difference between the raw, immediate nature of street art and the more reflective experience of art in a gallery? How do you see that difference?
I generally do not set boundaries on the evolution of creativity. Art has a way of evolving on its own. I think the more important part is recognizing and acknowledging the roots of this raw and natural progression of something to give it historical respect and context, but not to expect something to stay the same. As we speak, there are active efforts to remove and erase any viewpoints not fitting that of the colonizers’. This requires a call to all of us to assure this does not take place.
ARTCOLLECTORNEWS: In Faceless, you present both new and previously unseen works. How do these pieces reflect your ongoing exploration of power structures and identity? Are there specific themes or stories you want to talk about?
The works typically start with examining historical colonial or elite figures from the 1600’s and up, reflecting upon what they stood for, and in particular, what group of people presented them in what ways, as well as who they have spoken to over the last 400 years—who’s story is being told and who’s is erased. Considering that White supremacy is at the root of colonialism, it must be understood that the current structure in place is a continuation of the exploitation of women, Black and Brown groups, as well as poor European American whites that continue to be used to keep that belief system in place. The importance of these conversations are crucial to not repeating past dark events of history.
ARTCOLLECTORNEWS: Many of your works in Faceless merge gestural abstraction with surreal imagery. How do you use these techniques to express complex ideas like colonialism, capitalism, and personal experience in a visual form?
The connection, or morphing, of real and surreal, abstract and ambiguity, stems from a surreal experience that is expressed through colliding these various techniques to express a concentrated reality; something that is more stringent than a photo or a simple illustration of the subject at hand. To me, the image must run deeper emotionally and visually to arrest the audience in a way that re-examines the subject.
ARTCOLLECTORNEWS: In Faceless, your paintings seem to suggest a dialogue between the past and present. How do you use your art to bridge these two time periods, and what are you hoping to convey about their interconnection?
I think all are connected with previous ideas one way or another. We have seen painting go through massive changes and ideas over the centuries, so I think at this point the best we can do is juxtapose symbols, for example, to find a vocabulary that blends history in a way we can learn from, instead of having shelved it in a book that no one is reading. Painting is a great way of visually communicating that to an audience to keep the conversation going and relevant. We live in a visual society where the attention span for reading for most people is limited.
ARTCOLLECTORNEWS: What do you hope audiences take away from the artworks in Faceless? Are you hoping to provoke a shift in how people perceive power, history, or identity? Or is there a different response you’re hoping for?
I am hoping that people look at history more critically and see the correlation with present contemporary matters and situations. In essence, the power structures that have been in place since the 1600s that have managed to create transatlantic capitalism as we know it today are linked and continue to be challenges for humanity’s very existence under profit-driven structures. At the very least, I would like people to question what they are seeing and have seen is a start.
ARTCOLLECTORNEWS: Your time in the military, especially during the Gulf War, was a pivotal moment in your life. How did that experience influence your decision to transition from soldier to artist, and how does that time continue to shape your perspective in your artwork today?
I was twenty two years young and this was a pivotal moment in the sense that I became a part of the power structures I know I criticize, and a crucial experience and wakeup call. It may have been the beginning of me questioning how we conduct ourselves as human beings toward other human beings we don’t even know. I rejected our global foreign policies and was discharged after eight years, and I decided I wanted to serve humanity instead through art. The participation in soldiering and experiencing war itself for me shifted my thinking. I became critical as I learned more about psychological warfare and how it can affect groups very quickly.
ARTCOLLECTORNEWS: You’ve mentioned that your artwork is a form of protest. Do you feel that protest, in its various forms, is an essential role for the artist in today’s world? How do you think your work contributes to this conversation about resistance and change?
I don’t think that art needs to be anything other than what it is—an extension of the artist that produces it. But I do think it is important that art comes from an authentic place. The artist’s soul our life experience helps them become a unique voice that we all have and need. In my case, the protests are from my experiences as a man of color who has lived through various cultural lenses that began from more of a self-search to global social concerns today.
ARTCOLLECTORNEWS: Jumping to another statement that the idea of reconsidering who documents history in the larger global conversation. What do you think is at stake in this conversation, and how does your artwork participates in redefining who gets to tell history?
What is at stake is the erasure of truth itself from those that do not have voices or whose voices have been excluded since the beginning of colonization, in many cases, by anonymous figures in power. Truth requires multiple perspectives; in particular, the perspective of and from people that are oppressive and racially and economically, in order for history not to repeat itself. No one can correct the past, but history is there to avoid future directions that are harmful for all of mankind. Victims don’t often write stories, victors do, and that could be the beginning of correcting history.
ARTCOLLECTORNEWS: You’ve said that each painting has its own character and purpose. Are there any works in Faceless that you feel particularly proud of or that have contributed more to your artistic journey?
I do not single out work, but I would say the first faceless works in 2012 and the colonial faceless works in 2015 were both ground-breakers that travelled to museums in Europe and Russia before they did in the U.S. I am excited about my latest 2025 faceless digital NFT digital canvas series. These works take the painterly aspect and moves it further into movement. I look forward to exploring these more this year.
ARTCOLLECTORNEWS: The idea of ‘facelessness’ runs throughout the exhibition. Why do you choose to leave the faces of your subjects ambiguous or hidden? What does this choice say about identity or human connection?
It does two things: it questions and highlights at the same time. The identity of those depicted become anonymous, and that questions their anonymous power source. In some cases, they make a statement about the brand “whiteness” created by European colonizers in the late 1600s. In many of the portraits you will see white masks or faceless heads with one eye perspectives. The somewhat childlike aspect allows anyone, including children, to be drawn in and explore.
ARTCOLLECTORNEWS: How do you see the works in Faceless working together as a group? What do you think they reveal when shown side-by-side?
I think each one can stand well on its own. In fact, that is usually one of my criteria of any work I make—that it can do that—but I feel that in a group there is a clashing of the titans and a tension you can create within that group, and for the viewer you can tell a more complete story as each one feeds off the other and takes the story one step further.
ARTCOLLECTORNEWS: What can you tell us about your new body of work Man and Machine?
The Man and Machine series is a departure from my two-dimensional works on canvas, as much as I still enjoy making those. I have always allowed myself to push limits, and that means changing materials and challenging works I have done in the past. We are now heading in the merging of Man and Machine, whether it’s the integration of AI and other technology used in warfare or information gathering. I see this is regression for humanity, not progression. It is out of tune with nature, and in particular, our human nature, unless we are willing to sacrifice it.
These work have not been shown publicly yet.
ARTCOLLECTORNEWS: Looking back at your career and the evolution of your work, how do you feel about where you are now as an artist? What do you hope to explore next in your practice?
I am very pleased and privileged to say the least, and the recognition my work has received is something I could never have imagined, having started selling my work on street corners in Manhattan. The work has evolved and did not remain stagnant, which is important to me as I allow the times and current events to dictate my output. I have always had a great family and support team around me, as well as very competent dealers that keep food on my table and allow me to do what I do. I hope to have an even stronger institutional presence as we proceed. We just had several works included in collections at The Ringling Museum of Art, in Sarasota, and the Artistic Museum of Contemporary Art, in Wales. We would also like to work more aggressively with humanitarian issues through my www.marcusjansenfoundation.org Marcus Jansen Foundation Fund that assists marginalized groups and mental illness organizations, two groups largely overlooked in America.
ARTCOLLECTORNEWS: What’s next for you after Faceless? Are there any upcoming projects or new directions you’re excited to share with your audience?
The new works are digital series, and we have launched our first merchandise page at
www.marcusjansen.com/shop after getting requests for that to raise money for our foundation
fund as well as mental health causes in the future.
%20Jai%20Monaghan.jpeg)
Tate Modern today unveils In a perpetual remix where is my own song?, a striking new installation by French artist, DJ and producer Christelle Oyiri, marking the inaugural edition of the Infinities Commission—a new annual initiative championing radical experimentation in contemporary art.
Marcus Jansen, a globally renowned contemporary artist whose bold, emotionally charged works confront the complexities of modern life. Known for his distinctive fusion of street art, abstract expressionism, and social commentary, Jansen’s paintings explore themes of power, surveillance, and the human condition in an ever-changing world. From his early roots in graffiti culture to international acclaim, his journey is as compelling as the art he creates.
When Sonia Borrell and Michael Phelan envisioned the Marfa Invitational Open, they weren’t simply planning an exhibition—they were igniting a movement. From an open call across Texas to vibrant communal dances under the desert sky, what unfolded in Marfa this May felt like a powerful celebration of artistry fuelled by human connection.