Mario Basner: A View Through The Lens

BY HEATHER BEDNARCZYK

I have enjoyed a lifetime love affair with the camera. I find it very compelling that you can use a piece of technology to extend the vision of our physical eyes and capture a unique moment in time. As everyone well knows, a picture is worth a thousand words, and nowhere is that fact more evident than in the evocative images from the World Heritage Collection of Mario Basner, one of only 30 artists worldwide to be invited to the 2018 Venice Biennale, a highly prestigious, internationally renowned exhibition which will explore the deep communion between architecture, society and our surroundings.

Mario brings us images lifted from the pages of life, casting over us a spell of humanity, compassion, nostalgia and wonder that mirror the energy with which our community has grown, especially after the tragic events of this October past; and he’d like to show it not only to the world, but to Las Vegas itself, a public exhibition that will remind us of the softer, more humane side of our community.

Understandably, I am intrigued at the prospect of unveiling the mystery of the man behind the lens. I know Mario began his artistic career as a musician – a drummer, to be precise – and photography was an outlet for his personal expression as he toured the world adding his rhythmic signature to the colorful world of theater. What is fascinating is that, historically, drummers have played the role of holding the key to opening the gateways to spiritual dimensions. As a guardian of time, Mario has truly succeeded in transporting us to the past for a magnificent experience in human compassion.

Walking through the doors of his gallery at Tivoli Village, I am immediately filled with the sense that I have entered a magical space. Mario greets me warmly and instantly puts me at ease. I am his guest on this wonderful afternoon and am very much looking forward to the rare privilege of a private tour from the artist himself. Soothing classical music plays softly in the background, while the exquisite photos draw me in one by one to offer their deeply spiritual message. Ever the gentleman, he allows me to take the lead in choosing to explore the works that specifically speak to me.

As my eyes travel around the room, they come to rest on “Grandeur”, an image of the elegant entrance to the historic Beelitz – Heilstatten Sanatorium. Mario reveals that this is the first building he entered after he was given permission to shoot the site. Located in a forest just 30 miles outside of Berlin, Germany, it was originally built in 1898 as part of an entire village designed to care for thousands of German citizens stricken by the devastating tuberculosis epidemic sweeping the country at the time. I am struck by the enduring beauty it projects; despite the layers of decay and ruin caused by years of abandonment, it looks more like a grand hotel than a place of healing. When asked what led him to choose this subject, he replies, “The subject chose me… humbled me… changed my life forever.”

“Choices” is the next piece to draw me in for a moment of deep reflection, during which it quickly becomes one of my absolute favorites. In it, two hallways converge at the intersection of a corner wall leading to completely different realities. What do you do when confronted with the proverbial fork in the road? A bank of windows on either wall offers the viewer glimpses of its outside world and the choice between life on Earth and transcendence. Mario leaves it to the observer to have their own unique experience with his work, feeling his greatest gift is in providing the opportunity for those very personal epiphanies.

Exquisite floor to ceiling bay windows, adorned with iron scrollwork, pull me into the haunting, shadowy allure of “Beauty Forgotten.” I find this image eerily reminiscent of the Titanic. The juxtaposition of soil, light, and water damage to the ceiling, walls and floors suggests that this room with its lonely rusted hospital bed has just surfaced from being submerged in antiquity. In stark contrast, a reflective puddle echoes the lush greenery of the vibrant woodland outside. Mario’s unflinching realism has opened my heart to the raw emotional impact of this space. And I can’t help but see the hopeful promise of healing shining through the ravages of time and disease.

I take a moment to process what I have seen so far, for I am already so full… so deeply moved. Then one more image reveals itself to be savored by my eager mind. “Wealth” lights up that special place in my heart that adores the written word. Mario’s mesmerizing photograph inside the Peabody Library is an elegant tribute to the preservation of knowledge. As it envelops me in its panoramic display of pure intellectual brilliance, I can almost smell the paper and feel the enormous weight of endless volumes and the staggering amount of information they contain.

As I take it all in, Mario shares his observation of how we access information in the digital age. His perception of our cyber society is that we consume knowledge in small increments, then discard it with absolutely no connection to its origin. That unique point of view is what inspired him to use this image to reacquaint people with what it means to read a book. He goes on to explain, “When you pick up a book, it’s a body of work, it’s somebody’s life. You know about the author. You get a sense of what you’ve just absorbed. You have a chance to live that experience.”

I couldn’t agree more and I realize that, in truth, as much as I have been molded by the books I have read, I have been equally enlightened by the man who has created these works.

Mario has allowed me to see the man behind the lens and he has radically altered my vision. My perception of the world is not the same as when I walked into his gallery a few hours before. He has given me hope for a better world by reminding me of who we can be when we choose to express the greatness that lies within us all. Returning to the present, I bring with me the wisdom, care and passion of an artist determined to preserve the finest qualities of humanity for future generations. I am so grateful that our paths crossed in this lifetime. And I look forward to what this brilliant time traveler will choose to show us next!