Markus Merkle (born 1975) studied sculpture at the State Academy of Fine Arts in Munich and primarily works sculpturally, but also on paper or with digital media. Characteristic of his work is the use of simple basic forms, which, through their repetition and the incorporation of chance, transform each piece into a singular event within a uniform series. Fundamentally, Markus Merkle's works exhibit a tendency towards the ephemeral, with a focus on different states of balance. The catalog book "Unit" is published in conjunction with the exhibition "Far in Between" at the Galerieverein Leonberg (January 22 to March 5, 2017) and on the occasion of the Hannes Burgdorf Prize being awarded to the artist.