Inside the Studio: MarcusGlitteriS Chae
- Art Dealer Street
- 1 day ago
- 5 min read
Marcus Glitteris didn’t learn painting in a classroom.He learned it under strobe lights, on sticky nightclub floors, surrounded by glitter, drag queens, costumes, sweat, sound, and the electric chaos of downtown New York after dark.
Before there was canvas, there was movement.Before there were frames, there were bodies dressed like living sculptures.
For Marcus, the city itself was the first studio.
Fluorescent color, glitter, found objects, sunglasses, toys, fabric, light, performance — nothing is off limits. His work doesn’t sit quietly on a wall; it pulses, glows, reacts, and transforms. Under black light, his paintings feel reborn. In daylight, they hum with memory. His practice lives somewhere between painting, installation, costume, and human connection.
Part Club Kid mythology. Part Lower East Side lineage. Part pure, intuitive color explosion.
In this Inside the Studio conversation, Marcus opens up about nightlife as art school, fluorescent paint as energy, found objects as destiny, and why connection — above everything else — is the heart of his practice.
Read on to learn more in an exclusive interview with Marcus Glitteris :
Your biography notes that you started painting at age 28 and that “art class started for me on the floors of New York City night clubs.” How did your experiences in NYC’s club scene and “Club Kid” culture influence your artistic vision and choice of materials (such as fluorescent paint, glitter, and collage)?
At the time I did not know that this environment, energy, and culture would be the roots of my Artistic Voice. These beautiful Club Kids, Drag Queens, and Creatures of the Night would work on their outfits for hours and we were lucky to see their creations. Conceptually they were all moving organic paintings.
The “Cosmic Cavern” installation by Kenny Scharf is mentioned as the birthplace of your fluorescent painting style. What was it about that environment that inspired you? Your statement also mentions a “transformative process where the painting itself is reborn in the black light.” How do lighting conditions (natural vs. UV/blacklight) alter the perception or meaning of your work?
Well it is an interesting revelation when one understands and remembers the moment when an experience has entered one’s psyche and is forever changed in a positive, vibrant wayyy. So yes, experiencing Kenny Scharf’s Cosmic Cavern is a special room that I now have in my psyche and this energy, dayglo color, and all that is bright and beautiful for me I get to share in my own way and pass it down to the next Artist Creative so they can be inspired as well. Fluorescent color is especially stronger to the human eye because of something to do with gamma rays from the sun, which is why they are so bright in the sun. The other beautiful special feature is that DayGlo reacts to the UV black lights in a way that one cannot explain — you just have to experience it for yourself.
Professor Carolyn Kane has said that for you “the material is the concept.” You often incorporate unconventional objects (like sunglasses or “super balls” glued to canvases). How do you select and integrate these materials into your work, and what role do they play in conveying your artistic ideas?
Some artists like myself are very spontaneous, present in the moment, walking on this journey and finding that the universe supports you in this journey and gifts you surprises along the way. So synergy — finding some object on the street that fits and complements the painting I’m working on at this very moment. I mostly work on one painting at a time, many many moments like this.
Artist Isaac Aden described you as a “colorist” whose work is a “postmodern evolution of Greenbergian thought.” How do you approach color theory in your paintings? Do you consciously draw on art-historical theories, or is your use of fluorescent color more intuitive and experiential?
Yes — intuitive, experimental. As a self-taught Artist I can be free in my approach to all of my paintings, installations, and curations. I do love color but I am in love with fluorescent colorssssss.
Critics have highlighted your performative projects—dressing in costumes you design, engaging people at art fairs, making quilts with the public on the street. Why is performance and direct audience engagement important in your practice? How do these interactive experiences relate to or inform your studio-based paintings?
In our beautiful sensitive magical amazing world all we truly have as human beings is connection.
Your work has been said to harness the vibrancy of the New York City art community and the experimental tradition of the Lower East Side. How do the city’s environment and culture—especially the LES and its nightlife—continue to influence your art today?
I come from a legacy of amazing artists born and bred in NEW YORK CITY, and as an Artist it is very important to continue this legacy of native New Yorker downtown East Village Lower East Side artistic voices for the next voice.......
You’ve shown with independent platforms like Clio Art Fair. What was your experience at Clio, and how do events that emphasize independent, unrepresented artists compare to traditional gallery shows or fairs? What do they offer your career and your audience?
Alessandro Berni and his Clio Team have made something here very special, very affordable, very inspiring, where artists like myself get to have hope for one’s dreams and aspirations...... So Thank UUU
Your statement says your paintings are inspired by “the energy of experiences, moments in time, memoirs.” What recent experiences or memories are informing your current work? What new ideas or themes are you excited to explore next?
I have the good fortune of doing an Artist Residency here in The Hamptons where there has been a strong Artist Presence. I have had a solid 4 months of producing a body of work that are works on paper, paintings, installations and a few art shows. As a result I have fallen in love with Windmills,,,,, so I am incorporating Windmills in my practice nowwww yayyyyy.
Marcus’s work doesn’t whisper — it radiates.
It glows in daylight, electrifies in darkness, and refuses to separate art from life. Whether through paint, found objects, costumes, or human interaction, his practice reminds us that creativity is not confined to the studio — it happens everywhere: on sidewalks, in clubs, under black lights, between strangers.
In a city powered by movement and memory, Marcus Glitteris turns experience itself into color.
And sometimes, all it takes is a little fluorescent light to see the world differently.
You can learn more about MarcusGlitteriS Chae and his work via these links:
Website: MarcusGlitteriS Chae Instagram: @marcusglitteris LinkedIn: @Marcus Chae
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