Mark Whalen

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 Fund

  • Exhibitions



    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

Mark Whalen

Taking Notes, 2015
70 x 55 cm Acrylic, ink, gouache and powder coated pigment