Stories from the Lower World features three of Coates’ most significant works to date: Journey
to the Lower World, The Plover’s Wing and Kamikuchi. Each film features the artist as shaman,
who with an earnestness to lend a hand, addresses problems that move from eviction and
illegal bicycle parking to the politics of the Israeli/Palestinian crisis. His work is revealed as
a serious endeavour reflecting on humanity and our ontological conventions as they surface
through our connection with others (animals). The ensuing questions link real people with real
issues, however superficial they might seem, and express our humanity in a manner that would
in fact be familiar to indigenous cultures all around the world.

Marcus Coates’ (born 1968) lives and works in London, England with his videos, performances
and installations being shown internationally. Recent exhibitions include: Altermodern, Tate
Triennial, London, 2009; Lisson Presents 2, Lisson Gallery, London, 2008; Manifesta7, Trento,
Italy, 2008; Kunsthalle Zurich 2009; Tomio Koyama Gallery, Tokyo 2009; Sydney Biennial 2010.
Coates received the Paul Hamlyn Visual Arts Award in 2008 and the Daiwa Foundation Art
Prize in 2009. He was the Calouste Gulbenkian Artist in Residence in the Galapagos Islands,
Ecuador, 2008.

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