
Mark Whalen
Artist’s Statement
Mark Whalen is an Australian born, Los Angeles based Painter. Using a tightly controlled painting technique, Whalen expresses satirical social narratives in seemingly universal situations.Characters caught in the throes of ambiguous actions, shimmering trees, geometric patterns, architectural anomalies and intricate textural beads of color collide in kaleidoscopic intensity, at once immaculately composed and careening out of control. His use of sly oppositions reflects life's puzzling duality; evoking dark humor through luminous color, chaos through controlled detail and the sublime through the specific - a seductive synesthesia that sheds new light on humanity: which, like his works, is both erotic and oppressive, vibrant and reclusive, beautiful and uncanny.
Awards
COLLECTIONS
Artbank
National Gallery of Australia
Mainland Art FundExhibitions
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2015
Occupied, Emma Bett Gallery, Hobart
Trapezoid, Merry Karnowsky Gallery, Los Angeles
Between the Cracks, Edwina Corlette Gallery, Brisbane
Improper Fraction, Chalk Horse Gallery, Sydney
2014
Peculiarities, Melbourne Art Fair - Black Art projects
Stranded, Merry Karnowsky gallery
2013
I’ll meet you in the middle, Blackartprojects at Future Perfect, Singapore
Maze Walkers, Blackartprojects at Chalk Horse, Sydney
2012
Portals, Merry Karnowsky Gallery, Los Angeles
Hallucination, Melbourne Art Fair, Melbourne
2011
One Moment Please, Gallery A.S, Sydney
Anomaly, Merry Karnowsky Gallery, Los Angeles
White Out, Blackartprojects, Melbourne
2010
Parralled Opposites, Merry Karnowsky Gallery, Los Angeles
Observatory, Edwina Corlette Gallery, Brisbane
2009
Supreme Beings, Merry Karnowsky Gallery, Los Angeles
I’ll hit you up tomorrow, Merry Karnowsky Gallery, Los Angeles
2008
Super Systems, Merry Karnowsky Gallery, Berlin
Everything’s AOK, Until Never Gallery, Melbourne
2007
Kill Communication, Monster Children Gallery, Sydney
Bailbond, China Heights Gallery, Sydney
2006
Kill Pixie, Until Never Gallery, Melbourne
In the Woods, China Heights Gallery, Sydney Kill Pixie, China Heights Gallery, Sydney
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2013
New Neon: Light, Painting & Photography, Bedford Gallery, Lesher Center for the Arts, California
Full Court Press, Artereal Gallery, Sydney
Glitterers Anonymous, RMIT School of Art, Melbourne
Fhloston Paradise, Merry Karnowsky Gallery, Los Angeles
2012
Midnight on the Sun, Fecal Face, San Francisco
2011
STEP09 with Blackartprojects, Milan
Super Heroes, Edwina Corlette Gallery, Brisbane
Merry Karnowsky 2 Projects, Merry Karnowsky Gallery, Los Angeles
100, Langford 120 with Blackartprojects, Melbourne
Artpad, San Francisco, Merry Karnowsky Gallery
2010-11
Space Invaders, national touring exhibition, Australia
2010
Disorder, Disorder, Penrith Regional Gallery, Australia
2009
Apocalypse Wow, Museum of Contemporay Art Macro, Rome
The Mirror Stage, Monster Children Gallery, Sydney
Hard Left, Merry Karnowsky Gallery, Berlin
Edwina Corlette Gallery, Brisbane
Out3, Mostra Internacional d'art Urba Publicitari, Barcelona
2008
Small Gems, Metro 5 Gallery, Melbourne
Subliminal Projects, Park Life Gallery, San Francisco
Kill Pixie and Cleon Peterson, White Walls Gallery, San Francisco
Kill Pixie and Ryan Shaffer, Park Life Gallery, San Francisco
The Alternative Philosophy, Leonard Street Gallery, London
Hard Left, Merry Karnowsky Gallery, Los Angeles
Welcome Home, Fecal face
High Math, Pool Gallery, Berlin
2007
Replace ‘please’ with ‘fast’ and ‘thank you’ with ‘good’,The Lab 101 Gallery, Los Angeles
Fecal Face 7.5 Anniversary, 111 Minna Gallery, San Francisco
Across the Board, Wall Space Gallery, Sydney
Bootlegger, Until Never Gallery, Melbourne
Refill Seven, MTV Gallery Mini Pieces, Melbourne Museum
2006
Sixteen x Twelve, Monster Children Gallery, Sydney
All Style City, China Heights Gallery, Sydney
Semi-permanent, The Breadbox Gallery
What the fuck?, Monster Children Gallery, Sydney
Showing the single artwork