The Art Pledge
Portrait of Mario Pfeifer

Photo courtesy KOW Berlin.

Mario Pfeifer

Born in
1981
From
Dresden, Germany
Lives and works
New York City, United States of America
Represented by
KOW
Website
https://www.mariopfeifer.org/

UN goals

Tags

I was interested in a conceptual way of making films. I think film and video is a very social medium to work with because you suddenly engage with people. I would say all of my films need the people and the stories.

Biography

Exploring themes such as police brutality in America, systemic racism in Germany or the impact of capitalism in indigenous communities in Chile, Mario Pfeifer’s hyberdrised docu-dramas pose questions such as where we are heading to as a collective and how we can create a more inclusive society. As he tries to dissect the reality of a geographic area, he chooses to spend several months working on a specific subject to better understand its context. 


Pfeifer’s collaboration with the group Flatbush Zombies for their video Blacktivist resounds with David Hammons piece How ya you like me know, a painting depicting a white Jesse Jackson. Hammons uses humor to address racism while Pfeifer prefers archival images that are much more raw and poignant to heighten the severity of the issue. 


His work has a social purpose like Ilya Repin’s paintings, who depicted Russia’s working class and criticized social structures under the tsars. The two envision art as a means to trigger change and transform the world.

Career highlights

Solo shows

Group shows

Collection

Media

Selected artworks

Related artists