“Next” is that point of suspension between the past and the future where we sit wrapped in memory, poised in anticipation of the unknown. Desire and imagination cause us to leap ahead, while reality trips us with unexpected turns of fate. Looking at her own life, Marian Bantjes explores some of her pivotal points, springboards of intention and reflections on the perils of wanting and perhaps getting what you ask for.
A self-described graphic artist, Marian Bantjes was a book typesetter for 10 years and a designer for nine, but since 2003 she has freely pursued her artistic and typographic obsessions. Complex, structured, sometimes funny and always obsessive, her illustrations have appeared in magazines such as Eye, STEP, Wallpaper, WIRED, Print and Communication Arts. Although based on a small island near Vancouver, Canada, she stays connected with an impressive array of collaborators and clients, including Stefan Sagmeister, Michael Bierut, Saks Fifth Avenue and Young & Rubicam. Since 2004 Bantjes has also been a contributor to the design blog Speak Up, where her posts range from quirky musings to profane rants. She hopes to be living proof of what happens when you work for love, not money.
