Marcelo von Schwartz
Artist / Photographer / Filmmaker
Marcelo von Schwartz is an interdisciplinary artist working across photography, film, and spatial perception. Trained as an architect, his practice explores the relationship between space, movement, and human perception, often through experimental visual languages that combine architecture, time, and atmosphere.
His photographic work investigates how environments—urban or natural—shape subjective experience. Through long exposure, layered imagery, and spatial distortions, his images often transform familiar environments into perceptual landscapes that exist between reality and imagination.
Alongside his photographic practice, von Schwartz has developed several experimental film and audiovisual projects, exploring the intersection of cinema, sound, and neuroscience. His feature film Dark Bridge (2014), shot in Bangkok, experimented with binaural brainwaves integrated into the soundtrack to create immersive perceptual experiences.
His work has been exhibited internationally in cities including Tokyo, Fukushima, Bangkok, Miami, Vienna, Venice, New York, Barcelona, and Seoul.
In 2021 he presented the immersive exhibition Tokyo Still Motion in collaboration with Japanese sound artist Tomoo Nagai, shown at Tennoz Isle (Tokyo) and at Nishiaizu International Art Village (Fukushima). The project explored the paradox of constant motion and perceptual suspension in contemporary urban environments through photography and sound.
His current photographic research explores the presence of water in the landscape and its cultural and spiritual resonance across different traditions.
Education
Architecture
University of Buenos Aires
Filmmaking studies with Argentine filmmaker David José Kohn
Selected Exhibitions / Projects
2026 — LUST, photographic exhibition, ILFORD Gallery, Bangkok (forthcoming)
2026 — ALIRA, art / technology public sculpture project exploring atmospheric water generation (in development)
2023 — Polopos: People and Places, House 3 Gallery, Granada, Spain
2022 — Meet me at the Horizon, 333 Gallery, Bangkok
2022 — Die Lange Nacht der Forschung, AR exhibition, Desiderio Gallery, Vienna
2022 — Tokyo Still Motion (with Tomoo Nagai), Nishiaizu International Art Village, Fukushima, Japan
2021 — Tokyo Still Motion (with Tomoo Nagai), Tennoz Isle Central Tower, Tokyo
2021 — Breathe, Desiderio Gallery, Vienna
2021 May to Ocotober Metropolitan, Da Noi, Bangkok
2020-21 [December-February] Bangkok Dreamscapes at Rivercity Bangkok
2019 [October] Metropolis. The Bangkok Club, Bangkok
2018 [October] Art Takes SoHo [Collective] The Untitled Space, Tribeca, New York
2018 [September] SPACES [Collective] Palazzo Ca’ Zanardi Architecture Biennale Venice
2018 [April] Bangkok Dreams Solo exhibition Continent Hotel Bangkok
2017 [October] ESCAPE Solo Exhibition RMA Institute Bangkok
2017 [May] Tokyo International Art Fair Japan
2015 Epokalipto, Bangkok Slideluck I, [New York] The Space, Bangkok
2012 Dark Cabaret Photo Book Launch, Warp Studio, Bangkok
2011 Dark Bridge [Feature film, 90’], Premiere at Puchon Fantastic Festival, Seoul
2010 Art Videos for RECOIL World Tour, SELECTED/Strange Hours 2010-11, US-Europe
2007 [H]opening and Trayectos Extremos, OffLoop, Nau Ivanow, Barcelona
2006 [H]opening, [video-art] ARCO Madrid, Jacobo Karpio Gallery Miami
2005 Trayectos Extremos [video-art], Miami Art Fair, Segovia-Isaacs Gallery Barcelona
2004 Imaginary Landscapes, [Photography] Galeria Segovia-Isaacs, Barcelona
2003 New Figuration [Photography] Galeria Segovia-Isaacs, Barcelona
2001 Gaudi Moving [Video Art], Casa Mila, Fundacio Caixa de Catalunya, Barcelona
1998 Phoenix [Art short film] Premiered-Awarded at 60th.Brno Film Festival [Czech Republic]
Photobooks
2012 Dark Cabaret
2019 Two Realities [Curator]
2021 Tokyo Still Motion with Tomoo Nagai, album+photobook, Japan
Upcoming Exhibitions
Bodyscapes [Bangkok]
February 2022
Living Portraits [Barcelona]
July 2022
Contact
mvonschwartz@gmail.com
www.marcelovonschwartz.com
Tomoo Nagai
Tomoo Nagai is a percussionist, drummer, and composer. Born Shizuoka, Japan, 1975. Undergraduate, BA and Graduate,MFA Degrees from Tokyo University of the Arts. As a student Nagai was exposed to Jazz. He explores improvisation in Live House performances and in concerts experimenting in different styles of music genre and recording. He creates his own original instruments and gives solo concerts performing with them.
He performed with the group, LULI, with French musicians, Fabrice Bony, Samantha Zaccarie and Japanese musician Yasuyo Iso. Nagai has also performed with the Trio, EPOCUS created with Koichi Yamaguchi (pianist) and Yutaka Kaido (bassist). He has performed with Sto-Mocs with Sachiko Nagata « Il conformista » with Morley Robertson. He created a collaborative work with musicians Akira Sakata, Yuki Saga, concerning the poetry of Kazuko Shiraishi,
Nagai created a soundtrack for the movie”TAMAGO”, “FLOAT”, titled “Song of Windswept Traces” and was the director for an original work he created and performed for the exhibition of Kiyoshi Hibi, titled”The Night the Moon Came Closest to the Earth”.” He created and perfomed a percussion work, titled “metallications” and “saboten”, for the San Paulo Teatro Yuba Ballet Company established in 2011.
Music composed for the public was realized by Nagai in his project « Sound for 31 Stations » a tonal work which resounds throughout 31 stations on the Kinokuni line of the Japan Railway in Wakayama Prefecture. Nagai also worked on the project « Sounds for Tennoz Central Tower » creating musical pieces for the building’s public spaces.
Touring internationally Nagai has performed in Indonesia, Brazil, France, Morocco and Iceland from2005-2014. Recent Solo Concert performances include Opera City and Omigakudo in Tokyo, Japan.
In 2013, The French Japanese Cultural Center in Toulouse (CCFJT) France, released his solo album « 514 Pictures ».
Musical Activities
2015
HUES 1st album [in hue notes] Publication, Vo:Manami ISHIKAWA G:Hideki TSUCHIYA
Torainart 2015 (Music director)
Shimane tour with pianist Noriko KOSE, Shimane Pref. Japan
Music for Theater Shizuoka SPAC, “Flying kingdom Aristophanes-The Birds-”
Solo concert , OVE Minami Aoyama, Tokyo, Japan
Eri Matuzaki “Parnassus” , Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre , Tokyo, Japan
Iceland tour “Reflctions”2015 , (Akureiry Art Museum) ,Arkureiry, Iceland
Solo concert, OVE Nakanoshima ,Osaka , Japan
Sound Track for Film [TAMAGO], (Mac Film Festival BRASIL Award of best cinematography, Accolade Global Film Competition America Award of recognition, Luisville’s International festival of film America Award of “On the Edge”, 2015 Oregon Film Awards America Gold Award of “First time director”, Filmmakers of the Year Film Festival 2015 Indonesia Gold Award.)
LULI Japan tour, Japan G:Fabrice BONY, Vo,Video:Samantha ZACCARIE,Vo:Yasuyo ISO
France Tour 2015, France
Composition for TENNOZ CENTRAL TOWER Building,「Sound for TENNOZ CENTRAL TOWER 」Tokyo, Japan
2014
Composition for 31 Stations of JR line 「Sounds for 31 Stations 」Wakayama Prefecture, Japan
Solo concert ,Tokyo Opera city,Tokyo, Japan
Solo concert , Machiyama temple, Tokyo, Japan
France Tour 2014 , France
Fresh Winds Art Symposium 2014 , Iceland
2013
Solo concert , OVE Minami Aoyama, Tokyo, Japan
Art Tanabe 2013 Wakayama Prefecture, Japan
France Tour 2013
Album [the colors of water] Publication with Piano Noriko KOSE
Solo Album [514 Pictures] Publication from C.C.F.J.T France
“Full bloom” Art Symposium, France
2012
Concert at Morocco [The Traveling ORIN Project]
[The Traveling ORIN ] Publication
Art Tanabe 2012
France Tour 201
2011
Music for Teatro YUBA , Brazil
Brasil Tour 2011
Haruo HIGUMA Paradigm Shift ,Tokyo, Japan
sto-mocs Album [THAUMTROPE] Publication
ESPIRA Japan Tour 2011
Music for Theater [Tukiga Itibann Chikaduita Yoru] , Tokyo, Japan
2010
sto-mocs Japan Tour 2010
ESPIRA Japan Tour 2010
Art works for Deco Galeria ,Sao-Paulo Brazil
Concert EchigoTsumari Triennial , Nigata, Japan
Music for Exhibition [SABOTEN] , Tokyo, Japan
Produce music instruments for Baptist church , Okinawa, Japan
Music and musical instruments for exhibition [ISU ISU ISU] , Tokyo
2009
Performance [Akikann] ,Tokyo, Japan
Music for Kiyosi HIBI’s exhibition , Tokyo, Japan
ESPIRA Japan Tour 2009
2006
Takao Studio Inauguration , Tokyo, Japan
Music for Film [Fuumonnno utagoe]
Album [EPOCUS], Publication with Piano Trio EPOCUS
2005
EPOCUS, Indonesia Tour 2005 , Indonesia
Album [TALK HARD] Publication with Band “Flight Of Idea”
Music Production for Film [Float]
The Exhibition
Marcelo von Schwartz & Tomoo Nagai
Tokyo Still Motion
English