Best of Bologna: Edgiest Artists of the 2008 International Children's Book Fair

Original Exhibit: July 8 – October 8, 2009:
Deering Library, Third Floor
Permanent Exhibit: Completed October 2010:
Main Library, Fourth Floor

Marion Schwagers
Born:
Bensheim, Germany
Currently resides in:
Hamburg, Germany
Preferred Technique:
Collage, Serigraphy

Unpublished

Personal Statement

I finished my studies in Illustration at the Hamburg University of Applied Science in 2008, under the direction of Professor Bernd Mölck-Tassel and Professor Rüdiger Stoye. I am now working as a freelance illustrator, focusing mainly on picture books for children. Additionally, I enjoy doing editorial work for both newspapers and magazines.

I enjoy using the collage technique, first preparing illustrations on the computer and following with silkscreen prints. I also combine my collage work with woodcut techniques. Using these methods, I like to combine absurd situations with abstract forms to create a surreal atmosphere.
The illustrations presented in this exhibit were created as part of "Ways Water Goes", a project about the different meanings and uses of water in our lives and our society.

I particularly enjoy abstract work and portraying dreamlike images in a picture. My works are not always understandable at first sight, or there are many potential ways to understand them. Even when adhering to a specific theme, I try to stimulate the imagination and urge the viewer to analyze a picture at a deeper level. It is this ambiguity that I like above all else.