BLACKARTPROJECTS & MARK WHALEN PRESENT
B L A C K
PRESSURE Marfa 228 Johnston Street Collingwood, Australia 9 - 19 November, 2017
PRESSURE The figures in Mark Whalens’ works often appear to be in a state of unrest; whether amongst an angstridden room full of frenetic activity or metaphorically, where the state of mind appears trapped within a combative juncture. In recent works, Whalen has used construction netting to capture, cordon and compartmentalise the distinctive characteristics of his figures as they shift under the weight of societal anxieties. In Pressure, a new series of paintings, we see the net make way for rope, bands and ribbons. Here Whalen’s figures – androgynous beings – are strapped down and bound. Rather than being ‘caught’, these figures are instead tied to their subjects. This variation, seemingly slight at a cursory glance, is a significant shift in the artist’s intentions. It suggests cause and effect, not self-inflicted undoing. Although not visible, there is clearly another party involved, and with this idea comes the uncertainty between play and malice. Whalen further alters our reading of the situation by configuring their placement primarily within the boundaries of the canvas. In their contorted form we see the struggle of power – an emotional problem solving as Whalen describes it – unfold before us. Accompanying these works is a solitary sculpture cast in
aluminium and painted in the same vibrant palette seen across the canvas works. A head rests on one side atop a pillow of bubble wrap. The other side also hosts a padded mound of bubble wrap, held down by a strip of tape that runs across its face and around the head. This figure appears to have broken through the boundaries of the stretched canvases by morphing into 3D form. It looks to be stunned, seized by a thought, a fear or the concentration required to keep a deafening racket at bay. This is not simply an act or performance, but the symbol of a character whose propositional attitudes fail to rest. Through it, Whalen makes us question if this projected anxiety is, perhaps, a reflection of our own. Whalen’s Pressure continues his study into the complexities of displacement and positioning that we, as both individuals and a species, experience through our evolutionary trajectory and consequential states of being. David Hagger, 2017
Pressure I (2017) acrylic highload pigment on canvas 152.4 x 122 cm
Pressure II (2017) acrylic highload pigment on canvas 152.4 x 122 cm
Constraints (2017) acrylic highload pigment on cast aluminium 23 x 18 x 15.4 cm
Compression Matter I (2017) acrylic highload pigment on canvas 76.2 x 63.5 cm
Compression Matter II (2017) acrylic highload pigment on canvas 76.2 x 63.5 cm
Minimum Space (2017) acrylic highload pigment on canvas 76.2 x 63.5 cm
Pressed (2017) acrylic highload pigment on canvas 76.2 x 63.5 cm
Confined (2017) acrylic highload pigment on canvas 76.2 x 63.5 cm
Maximum Capacity (2017) acrylic highload pigment on canvas 76.2 x 63.5 cm
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