The Spatiality of Form

Born in Salzburg, Austria, in 1968, Bele Marx has spent much of her professional life navigating the intersections of space, light, and material. While her roots are in the Austrian landscape, her practice has largely found its center in Vienna. Her work often moves beyond the traditional boundaries of the canvas, seeking instead to understand how objects and shadows interact with the environments they inhabit. This preoccupation with the way perception is shaped by physical presence defines much of her output.

Her approach is frequently characterized by a sensitivity to the ephemeral. Rather than focusing solely on permanent structures, she often explores how light and line can distort or redefine a room. This interest in the intangible was notably present in her collaborative installations, where the interplay of shadow and wire created abstract structures that challenged the viewer's sense of depth and emptiness.

Collaborative and Public Interventions

Marx’s practice is often defined by a dialogue with other creators and the specific histories of the locations she enters. Her work is not a solitary endeavor but a response to the architecture and the social context of the space provided. This is evident in several key projects:

• The spatial installation aufhänger, which utilized silver-colored wire hangers to cast abstract line structures upon walls.
• The 2017 intervention Rektorenfasten – ins licht gerückt, which engaged with the historical tables of the University of Vienna.
• The 2019 exhibition Wo Göttinnen entstehen – Les dieux en chantier, a project commissioned for the Paracelsus Bad & Kurhaus in Salzburg.
• The 2025 exhibition Birds, held at the Stadtgalerie Museumspavillon in Salzburg, which examined the relationship between art, nature, and history.

The Materiality of Presence

In her later work, the themes of nature and history become more pronounced. By utilizing sites like the museum pavilion in Salzburg—a space that once functioned as an aviary—she connects the biological reality of birds with the cultural history of the site. This method of working allows her to bridge the gap between the physical world and the conceptual ideas that inhabit it. Her work remains a study of how we perceive the objects around us and the spaces they occupy.