Marcus Vergette

Marcus Vergette was born in Carbondale, Illinois, in 1961 and studied at Portsmouth College of Art (1978-79) and Central School of Art, London (1979-83). His first solo show was at the Yehudi Menuhin School, Surrey, in 1983. Since then he has shown regularly, including one-man exhibitions at the Economist Plaza, London (1995) and Art Windows International, Washington DC (1999), and in group shows such as the 'Whitechapel Open' (1984); the 'International Print Exhibition' at the Barbican Centre, London (1996-97); 'Henley Festival' (1999); 'East of Eden', Spacex, Exeter (2001); and at Broomhill Sculpture Park, Barnstaple (2002). His…

Marcus Vergette was born in Carbondale, Illinois, in 1961 and studied at Portsmouth College of Art (1978-79) and Central School of Art, London (1979-83). His first solo show was at the Yehudi Menuhin School, Surrey, in 1983. Since then he has shown regularly, including one-man exhibitions at the Economist Plaza, London (1995) and Art Windows International, Washington DC (1999), and in group shows such as the 'Whitechapel Open' (1984); the 'International Print Exhibition' at the Barbican Centre, London (1996-97); 'Henley Festival' (1999); 'East of Eden', Spacex, Exeter (2001); and at Broomhill Sculpture Park, Barnstaple (2002). His work is in the collections of Tate and Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery.

Vergette received the Stowells Painting Prize at the Royal Academy (1982); the Art for Offices sculpture prize, London (1999); an Arts Council interdisciplinary award (1993); and a South West Arts grant (1999). Also in 1999, he was elected Associate of the Royal Society of British Sculptors.

The sculptor works to commission, his first being the John Chandler Memorial at the Barbados Department of Archives, St. Michael, Barbados (1985). Others include Carpet Roll for an outpatients' waiting area at Moorfields Eye Hospital, London (1997); Scissors, Paper, Stone for the Andreas Institute, Brookline, New Hampshire, USA (1999); and Not Me Without You, also for the Andreas Institute (2000). There (2000), comprises three bronzes and was made for Taylor Woodrow Instruments at St. Katherine's Dock, London.

Installation and performance are also part of Vergette's artistic practice. His first performance, Scenes of the City, toured to 27 venues in 1994, including Exeter, London and Newcastle. His most recent piece, Poet, Painter, Instrument-maker, was shown at Chagford Parish Church, Devon, in 2000.

Chance plays a conscious role in the work of Marcus Vergette. 'When we flip a coin to make a decision,' he says, 'we use randomness to create order.' In his sculpture, performances, installations and commissions, he combines simple elements to make complex forms. For example, the turn of a plane can transform a simple sheet into something that is visually more challenging. If that plane is turned again and again and the structure multiplied, the piece may appear to be entirely removed from its basic origins.