(1955)

"Utoquai", 2012.

Marcotype. Vintage.

150 x 207.5 cm.

Signed lower right and with wax seal.

Marco Pellanda, a Swiss photographic artist with Italian roots, grew up in an exceptionally creative family: his eldest brother leads a circus group, the second eldest makes pictures in the style of the “ligne claire” (clear line) comics and anything that is remotely to do with colour. After finishing school, Pellanda first did an apprenticeship with the Zurich photographer Dominic P. Schneider and in addition took on a photographic training course which he completed with flying colours. There then followed further assistant jobs with photographers in New York. At this time he was particularly interested in fashion photography. By the age of 29 he had his own studio and was focussed primarily on furniture design. At this time, he created around 84 individual designs which were produced in limited editions. Alongside this activity, Pellanda continued to educate himself in the field of photography and worked on subjects such as cars, jewellery, clocks, portraits, and landscapes, as well as doing various cookery books. In the mid-1990s he dedicated himself mostly to advertising. However, his great passion was for art photography. He is of an adventurous and perfectionist disposition, and at the same time extremely disciplined. He never works on several pieces at the same time: for him it is a rule to do one thing at a time. He has created installations, schooled himself in various photographic techniques, including the extremely complex Dye-Transfer technique, and over several years, together with various printers, he has even developed a new technique: the Marcotype. A wooden block is covered with several layers of gesso, then silvered or gilt with "Gesso Artistico" and then brought to life with spray process. He uses special (and extremely secret) materials for the preparation of the ground, which means that the works cannot be copied. The cracked structure of the picture is a deliberate effect and results from the technique, as the graining is meant to be visible. The Marcotype is a modern realisation of the Daguerréotype. Pellanda has thus gone back to the origins of photography and transferred this over to a large format. To be viewed only with backlighting, these pictures with their special preparation using silver and gold particles convey a strong sense of plasticity. Through his work as a furniture designer the artist photographer has also developed an affinity for steel. Steel is not prone to surface rust and is notable for its durability. His Marcotypes always have a solid and extremely heavy steel frame.

Pellanda’s works are imbued with his idiosyncratic view of life, and his critique of politics and society. He will not allow himself to be contained.

Marco Pellanda lives and works in Zurich and Paris.