Time on my hands by Mark Whalen: at Casa Gilardi

Mark Whalen’s latest show “Time on my hands”, is his first solo exhibition in Mexico City. Mark’s versatile and interdisciplinary practice is characterized by his distinctive models rendered in bold, expansive fields of color. Casa Gilardi’s playfulness: its deep reds the color of Mexican sweets, the swimming pool’s magenta wall added for pleasure, and brightly painted walls smoothed down to give the illusion of light, is reflected in Whalen’s florescent hues, comical facial characteristics, and body language. Whalen’s sculptures explore the everyday. Exaggerated facial expressions create an overarching narrative: each body part belongs to a single fictional protagonist, cumulating to represent the vast spectrum of human emotion. Much like Barragan has centered the domestic Casa Gilardi around the jacaranda tree, Whalen has paired these human-like figurations with everyday household items, thus encouraging us to explore uncanny relationships between object and person. As Barragán’s purple wall in the courtyard mimics the shade of the jacaranda flowers, and the blue walls in the front courtyard reflect the sky above, Whalen in turn beautifully mirrors the house’s unique elements of light, colour and texture.

Mark Whalen has exhibited extensively internationally, including at Centro de Arte Contemporáneo de Málaga, Spain; Museum of Contemporary Art Macro, Italy; National Gallery of Australia, Australia; National Gallery of Victoria, Australia; Over the Influence, United States/Hong Kong/Thailand; Arsham Fieg Gallery, United States; Merry Karnowsky Gallery, United States; Pop68/ Ruttowski 68, Germany; Sophie Gannon Gallery, Australia; Chalk Horse Gallery, Australia; and Sanderson Contemporary Art, New Zealand. His work is held in public and private collections in Australia, the United States and internationally.