Marcus Neustetter (born 1976, Johannesburg) earned his undergraduate and Masters Degree in Fine Arts (2001) from the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. Interested in cross-disciplinary practice, site-specificity, socially engaged interventions and the intersection of art and activism, Neustetter has produced artworks, projects, performances and installations across Africa, Europe, America and Asia. Searching for a balance between poetic form and asking critical questions, his media fluctuates in response to concept and context . Ideas often circle the intersection of art, science and technology in an attempt to find new perspectives on his process.
Parallel to his solo process. Neustetter is active as artistic director, facilitator, researcher and strategist to various creative industry areas, he finds himself building opportunities and networks that develop interest beyond his personal artistic practice into seeking entrepreneurial and alternatively cultural ecosystems. An example is through his 23 year collaboration with Stephen Hobbs as The Trinity Session, carving out new possibilities for artists, this partnership has seen major private and public art programmes, cross-sector industry collaborations and experimental ventures, creating opportunities for thousands of artists in the last two decades.
His search for direction in trans-disciplinary collaboration between science, philosophy and art for social impact has manifest in the past National Arts Council flagship project Sutherland Reflections (2008-2013) with Bronwyn Lace, artistic director for ISEA2018 Durban, planetarium shows and virtual networked coproductions as IMAGINARY FUTURES (since 2018) and more recently in the THE ZoNE (since 2020) based in Vienna. Neustetter’s experimentation and co-productions has led to his work floating in the International Space Station and the Moon Gallery and exploring new frontiers with his collaboration with Paris-based Annick Bureaud (Leonardo/OLATS) titled Space Shelter Earth.
Marcus Neustetter is an adjunct professor with the Nelson Mandela University and currently moves between his studios in Johannesburg and Vienna.