Nineneuf9

"It’s safe to say that Marks has dealt with his personal crucible with determination, style, grace and a lot of hard work ...

"Here’s to a fresh new beginning with much abundance and promise ... " - Reggie Michael, The Visionary Post

"In the exhibition 'Nineneuf9,' one is confronted by a handful of paintings in which Marks stares blankly out from the canvas, walks about aimlessly, circumscribes himself, and (most poignantly) stands scratching his head underneath the table that was used for French conversations at NuNu’s.

"Indeed, the importance of the table, is echoed in the presence of one in the center of the room. This is not the only sculptural quality evident, however.

"The cumulative effect of the works hits somewhere between heartbreaking and stoically existential ...

"The quality of the painting itself is something to be remarked on as well. Each work is an accumulation of washes and skeins of paint that seem to veil the support and the graphite drawings of himself that Marks has embedded in them.

"The work is tough, but the quality of the execution is light and ephemeral.

"This gives the works a dichotomous quality that points to both the strengths and frailties of the human condition.

"The philosophy of existentialism generally posits the man is responsible for finding meaning within his existence, despite the inevitability of confrontations with personal despair, angst, absurdity, alienation and boredom ...