Marcus Coates

Marcus Coates was born in 1968 in London, UK, where he lives and works. By exploring people, animals and nature, Coates attempts to understand how we relate to each other and the world around us. He re-enacts states of being  - a process of radical empathy - to question our history, future and what it means to be alive now. By creating, examining and critiquing relational tools, his practice often moves beyond the limits of conventional language. He works collaboratively, bringing in members of the public, individuals, organisations and institutions, as well as experts from a wide range of disciplines. These have included anthropologists, ornithologists, wildlife sound recordists, choreographers, politicians, psychiatrists, palliative care consultants, musicians and primatologists. Together they seek answers to questions about humanity and the natural world, often exposing the disconnects between us and the societies we have created. 

Solo exhibitions include Between Stories, Kate MacGarry, London (2024); Conference for the Birds, Cherryburn Cottage, Northumberland, UK (2023); The Directors, Artangel, London, UK (2022); The Animal That Therefore I Am, OCAT Institute, Beijing, China (2020); Dawn Chorus, Fundació Joan Miró, Barcelona, Spain (2015); The Trip, Serpentine Gallery, London, UK (2010); Psychopomp, Milton Keynes Gallery, Milton Keynes, UK (2010); Marcus Coates, Kunsthalle Zurich, Switzerland (2009). Recent group shows include More than Human, Design Museum, London (2025); Sea Inside, Sainsbury Centre for the Visual Arts, Norwich, UK (2025); Why Look at Animals, National Museum of Contemporary Art (EMST), Athens, Greece (2025); Then Now Later, Nobel Prize Museum, Stockholm, Sweden (2024) and Wonders, Kunsthalle Wien, Vienna, Austria (2022). Coates was nominated for the 4th Plinth commission in 2014 and was the recipient of a Paul Hamyln Award in 2008. In 2009 he won the first Daiwa Art Prize.