MarkoKoeppe is a digital artist whose work often uses the medium of collage to break apart and reassemble familiar subjects. In many of these pieces, there is a sense of layering where different textures and symbols compete for space against figures that are partially obscured or shifted. I find that this approach creates a disjointed feeling, especially when the artist uses circular shapes or bright graphics to hide the faces of his subjects, making the viewer focus on the surrounding elements instead.
In the piece Ich Hab Den Namen Vergessen, a woman in a yellow bikini and platform shoes sits by a body of water, but her face is completely covered by a red and white graphic. The composition is filled with layered details like a skeletal hand, a globe, and US currency, alongside scribbled lines and text that reads “CAPITALISM” and “MONEY.” It feels like a busy commentary on value and consumption, where the person becomes just another object in a crowded landscape of symbols.
Rita Round 1 shows a different way of handling the figure by using monochrome photography and abstract shapes. Here, a woman with dark, curly hair is positioned behind several floating circles that contain fragmented sections of her own face and body. Because these sections are shifted, the entire image looks disjointed and broken, even though the palette is a simple black and white. It is an interesting way to use digital art to mimic the feeling of a physical collage that has been cut and rearranged.
Another work titled Pink uses a similar technique of obscuring the face, but with a much bolder use of colour. A person with long hair and a dark shirt has their face hidden by a bright pink shape, with a red and white tongue graphic extending from the bottom. The use of headgear and fashion elements in these pieces suggests an interest in style and how we present ourselves, even when the most personal part of the portrait is removed.
Doctor Fish moves into more surreal territory by combining a landscape of green grass and water with very unexpected objects. A fish with a tank turret for its head sits near a nude woman seen from behind, while a large red circle hangs over the sunset horizon. The mix of architectural structures and patterned rectangles at the top of the frame gives the piece an abstract quality that is quite different from the more portrait-focused works. MarkoKoeppe seems to enjoy these strange juxtapositions, where the natural world and mechanical or graphic elements are forced together in a single frame.