Max Greis

The world is changing faster than ever, from global warming and the loss of
ecosystems, to the destruction of indigenous cultures and people. Industrialization
has radically altered humanity’s relationship to nature, with simultaneously
empowering and endangering efects.

I create landscapes that reflect this theme, penetrating time and space in an
exploration of this process of transformation. Whether in painting, video, or
diorama, I utilize collage built from many individual landscape scenes, seamlessly
blended together to construct a globalized vision. The world that emerges is
composed of my forms, thoughts, and narratives. I call it the Archaic Armageddon.

My work evolves out of several art history genres: the use of collage and method of
juxtaposition recall the Dada and Surrealist traditions, creating dream-like,
otherworldly atmospheres. The stylization and landscape perspective reflect a range
of Asian traditions, including Chinese hand scrolls, Japanese woodblock printing, and
Persian miniatures. Early Northern Renaissance masters, specifically the work of
Bruegel and Bosch, inspire the apocalyptic and hyper sensibility of the narrative. As
a New Yorker, the Hudson River School is also reflected in my work, continuing an
American tradition of speaking through landscape.