Archive for March, 2011 « Mark de Lange Mallari – New Directions in Asian Contemporary Art

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<b>“Anonymous”</b> <p>Acrylic Resin and Mixed Materials on Canvas and Panel</p> <p>24” x 38.5”, 2010</p> <p><i>Dedicated to all who labor anonymously and far from the glaring light of recognition. This is also a condemnation of all who would suppress creativity in the name of a supposed greater good. There are a lot of you out there, unfortunately, both the former and the latter both. Such is the human condition, and yet, life goes on.</i></p>

<b>“Nocturne”</b> <p>Acrylic Resin and Mixed Materials on Canvas and Panel</p> <p>24” x 38.5”, 2010</p> <p><em>A dodecahedron floats effortlessly off the tip of a finger, its precise arabesque patterns in stark contrast to the floral design of a dress and the random, haphazard lines crisscrossing a wall. Dream states merge seamlessly with reality, truth with illusion, order with chaos. Be still for a while, and wait.</em></p>

<b>“Quietus”</b><p>Acrylic Resin and Mixed Materials on Canvas and Panel</p><p>32” x 32”, 2010</p><p><i>In one definition of the word, “quietus” is a euphemism for death, which may explain the reason for the generally cool tones of the work, the freeze-frame sensation of serenity and silence. I also like a second meaning, that of a release from one's debts and obligations to the world, a cessation of the endless to-do list of the big and small things that push and pull us for as long as we exist. To finally drift off, to let go, to sleep; it's a tempting thought. But for now we shrug the notion off, and breathe.</i></p>

<b>“Null Point” (portrait of the artist)</b><p>Acrylic Resin and Mixed Materials on Canvas and Panel</p><p>32” x 32”, 2010</p><p><i>I completed this portrait of myself on my 50th birthday. I most probably will never do something as self-indulgent as this again, but the process of creating this particular piece was both calming and cathartic, a quiet moment of reflection at a particular milestone in my life. </p><p>Among many possible definitions, “null point” refers to a locus of stillness surrounded by motion, and the work has that feeling of time having stopped, as if the universe itself was holding its breath. Sometimes we just have to sit quietly, close our eyes, and listen.</i></p>

<b>“Lamentations in White and Red”</b><p>Acrylic Resin and Mixed Materials on Canvas and Panel</p><p>24” x 39”, 2009</p><p><i>I don't plan my works out in any great detail. I find it more fun to wait until something strikes and I find a way to drop everything else I'm doing and I just let the work take on a life of its own; I am merely the enabler. In “Lamentations” I started with the figure slumped against a wall, despairing and defeated. It's a powerful emotion that is evoked here, something we all feel from time to time. The crude, painted-on characters inside the circle mean “condemned”. Yet I have a hopeful interpretation; she is merely gathering up her deepest resources and will pick herself off the ground, and the red and white background (Kōhaku) is an indication of that inner strength not yet unleashed. I just knew that I had to split the work into red and white fields and place the figure in the red half, without questioning why.</i></p>

<b>“Events Beyond My Control”</b><p>Acrylic Resin and Mixed Materials on Canvas and Panel</p><p>39” x 24”, 2009</p><p><i>I have always wanted to try out an allusion to infinite recursions, that effect you get when one stands between two opposing mirrors, and I was able to accomplish that in a way with the model and her black t-shirt. I used dozens of richly detailed layers of images to get to the point where the various elements worked well with one another and yet could be safely ignored, individually. Working without an endgame in mind I reached a final image that really ought to be very “now” in appearance but nevertheless has a retro feel to it, almost like an Asian movie poster of the 60's or a propaganda piece of that same era. The massive amount of detail draws the eye back and forth for quite a while, and in the full-scale work you can zoom in almost infinitely and still see something new at every level.</i></p>

<b>“Akihabara Girl”</b><p>Acrylic Resin and Mixed Materials on Canvas and Panel,</p><p>24.5” x 52”, 2009 </p><p><i>This work was inspired by the vibrancy and sheer energy of this well-known electronics district in Tokyo. This is the other work with my daughter as a model, and I combined her image with symbols culled from all over Tokyo, including street graffiti, subway signage, anime and manga. The immense concentration of shape, form and color sometimes brings to mind the manic drips and slashes of Jackson Pollock, but it’s done with data, not drops. Perhaps they are not that much different. As Pollock did not concern himself with the size and position of each drop that fell onto the canvas, neither did I focus on every fragment of information that fell onto the image, and both only saw the overall effect as it occurred, trusting that the details would sort themselves out naturally with the minimum of intervention and determinism.</i></p>

<b>“Kuro”</b><p>Acrylic Resin and Mixed Materials on Canvas and Panel,</p><p>28” x 38”, 2009 </p><p><i>The title is Japanese for “black”, and the title actually came before the work. I intended it to be a dark, brooding piece, but it eventually came to be filled with bright visual elements instead, for some unfathomable reason; a color chart, a map of the Tokyo subway system, calligraphy painted on a floor, a computer-generated torus, the riot of colors reminding me somewhat of a Kandinsky painting, or several orchestra playing at the same time. Sometimes a work can be lead by the nose in the direction you want it to go, and sometimes it leads you.</i></p>

<b>“Don’t Fall Down”</b><p>Acrylic Resin and Mixed Materials on Canvas and Panel,</p><p>22.5” x 44”, 2009 </p><p><i>I came across a set of dishes that just had a line of colored dots marching across, and I wanted to try that out in my own work. With my fascination for Asian icons, street art, calligraphy and diagrams of technology I decided to again meld the disparate elements together into what is really an abstract composition that uses images from real life, which is what a lot of my work really does. The circles provide the appropriate visual relief and order. The work is not considered finished some of the circles may eventually end up in iridescent gold and silver.</i></p>

<b>“Listen”</b><p>Acrylic Resin and Mixed Materials on Canvas and Panel,</p><p>24” x 39”, 2009 </p><p><i>“Listen” is one of my few forays into steam punk imagery; with the use of old machine parts and a Victrola horn that I placed alongside flowers of the same shape. I had a shot of the model, Julienne, wearing earphones and the work was completed by that.</i></p>

<b>“Lacrima”</b><p>Acrylic Resin and Mixed Materials on Canvas and Panel,</p><p>44” x 35.5”, 2009 </p><p><i>Lacrima is Latin for “tears” and this work is partly a result of my wondering about whether an artificial intelligence could acquire emotions if it reached the appropriate level of complexity. I guess we will always wonder when we will see the humanity in that which we create, and what will they think of us, when that happens?</i></p>

<b>“Quantum Rain Sideways Falls”</b><p>Acrylic Resin and Mixed Materials on Canvas and Panel,</p><p>28” x 44”, 2009 </p><p><i>This is an extremely dense layering of visual elements, numbering in the thousands of objects. There are maps, thick arrays of Kanji, railway signs, photos of Asian street scenes, random images of urban decay and icons of high-technology. At the top-most layer is a motion-capture sequence of marching robots, as if put there to impose order out of the chaos. The focal point is the female, who may or may not be real; soft flesh or hard plastic? Is the flower on her hair a digital simulation of a flower, or a real flower in digital form? I noticed the strong horizontal lines rushing through the piece and recalled the counter-intuitive behavior of sub-atomic particles. I thought that quantum rain would have no trouble falling in whatever direction it chose, just because it could, and thus the reason for the title.</i></p>

<b>“Plane of the Ecliptic”</b><p>Acrylic Resin and Mixed Materials on Canvas and Panel,</p><p>44” x 28”, 2009 </p><p><i>“Plane of the Ecliptic”, like many of my works, is a random conglomeration of unconnected visual elements thrown together with no prior planning or intent. Yet it amazes me how, in the act of viewing, the mind supplies a story, weaves a drama. In my own imagination a tourist has accidentally entered a hidden temple chamber and has discovered an ancient machine, perhaps a universal orrery or a device able to twist space and time. For certain many interpretations are possible, artifacts of our brain’s constant effort to make sense out of the randomness of the Universe.</i></p>

<b>“Unspoken”</b><p>Acrylic Resin and Mixed Materials on Canvas and Panel,</p><p>32” x 32”, 2009 </p><p><i>“Unspoken” refers to the many indignities and humiliations we all quietly suffer at one point or another. The brush strokes seem to strike the woman’s back and head like a whip yet, she sits proud and unbowed. Visually, this is one of my favorite pieces. Nothing in it actually has something to do with another; a turn of the century photograph, sweeping brushstrokes, pulsing fields of data, diagrams of radio circuitry, schematics for high-performance engines, a triple spiral that folds in on itself in space. Yet it all comes together beautifully to me and the effect is almost like that of an old painting, with the intricate golden patterns in the background as soft whispers of Gustav Klimt's “Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer”.</i></p>

<b>“Resonance”</b><p>Acrylic Resin and Mixed Materials on Canvas and Panel,</p><p>39” x 24”, 2008 </p><p><i>Sometimes sounds guide me through the process of forming an image in my mind. In this case I imagined two powerful sound sources interacting with each other, cancelling in some places, reinforcing in others. The figure holds a symbolic echo reflector. It was also interesting to me, as I have done in other works, to juxtapose pure geometry and abstraction with a figurative representation, and it is interesting to get to straddle both worlds.</i></p>

<b>“Womb of My Illusions”</b><p>Acrylic Resin and Mixed Materials on Canvas and Panel,</p><p>39” x 24”, 2008 </p><p><i>This work is one of a sub-series in which I experimented with putting bold, bright geometric shapes and patterns together with the soft flesh of the human figure, in a way being the antithesis of the work of Victor Vasarely. I also wanted to say something about how we often by necessity, sugar-coat our situation in life, and live in a bubble of false security and feel-goodness and do not recognize how exposed and vulnerable we really are. Me, I like my bubble just fine!</i></p>

<b>“The Persistence of Yellow Airplanes”</b><p>Acrylic Resin and Mixed Materials on Canvas and Panel,</p><p>39” x 24”, 2008 </p><p><i>Not all my works are somber or serious, sometimes I just want to be flippant and not put in too much meaning into everything. I also love aircraft and this is probably one of the few times I will get to use an aviation theme in a work. I also don’t often incorporate outright movement in my works, preferring a stillness and quietude. Nothing could be more different from that than a hoard of pesky airplanes buzzing around a befuddled girl’s head for no apparent reason.</i></p>

<b>“Day Eleven”</b><p>Acrylic Resin and Mixed Materials on Canvas and Panel,</p><p>28” x 44”, 2008 </p><p><i>This is another nonsensical work and I must have watched too many science fiction movies as a child. It’s scary in a comical way, or is it the other way around? I imagined an inexplicable series of events happening while the world watches in consternation, culminating in the arrival of a fleet of alien spheres on an imaginary Asian city, probably to do some shopping.</i></p>

<b>“Solipsism”</b><p>Acrylic Resin and Mixed Materials on Canvas and Panel,</p><p>39” x 24”, 2008 </p><p><i>“Solipsism” refers to a condition of self-absorption and perhaps this is a comment on the observation that technology is a tremendous enabler but can also disconnect us from those around us. I also found it interesting to employ echoes of classical art to create a work that on first glance looks like it ought to be a classical painting, but reveals itself to be a work composed of modern contradictions.</i></p>

<b>“Nobody’s Business but My Own”</b><p>Acrylic Resin and Mixed Materials on Canvas and Panel,</p><p>24” x 33”, 2008 </p><p><i>Another work whose purpose was to play around with non-related visual elements, yet somehow have them all co-exist in one combined image. There is the field of brightly colored squares, symbols and shapes popping in and out of existence in the left side, the florals swirling about in a background hinting of decay, the pristine loop of silver hovering over the canvas oblivious of physical law. And there is the kid with the funky, borrowed Wayfarers reflecting a cloudscape that really shouldn’t be there. I like the kid’s so-what, devil-may-care attitude and it seems to me that he is just barely maintaining his pose and restraining himself from bursting out in laughter. An architectural diagram of sun-shadow interaction forms a subtle halo around his head, but a pair of red, plastic horns wouldn’t look out of place either.</i></p>

<b>“Oath of Fealty”</b><p>Acrylic Resin and Mixed Materials on Canvas and Panel,</p> <p> 39” x 24”, 2007</p> <p><i>“Oath of Fealty” was inspired by an old pre-war photograph I found. The figure seemed oppressed and abused in some way, and her back was marked, which I interpreted to be more a sign of ownership by an overlord rather than self-expression. I thought of the issue of female subordination and repression that occurs in some traditional societies and I placed an image of a butterfly about to perch on her back to symbolize my hope that women everywhere will one day enjoy the same rights and freedoms as men. As I have a daughter this is not merely an abstract issue for me. I placed a spectral ribbon on the upper left corner to balance out the seeming chaos. This painting was also the first in which I used large fields of iridescent gold in some works as a visual counterpoint to the complex, multi-layered image at the bottom, the gold being a Zen-like emptiness that is not empty. Many thanks to Rothko for making such an emptiness possible for the rest of us!</i></p>

<b>“Epiphany”</b><p>Acrylic Resin and Mixed Materials on Canvas and Panel,</p><p>39” x 24”, 2007 </p><p><i>The painting shows the sudden moment in which a young woman, after a long period of prayer and meditation, has suddenly achieved a state of self-realization. It’s that Eureka moment some of us have, that’s powerful enough to change the course of our lives. It does symbolize a sudden awakening in more than one way, of course, and it’s a powerful image in my view, and something that is proudly displayed in my home, even if it’s just a test piece. This is merely an experimental work, meant solely as a final validation of the various resin membrane techniques and visual themes I would later use in other works. It’s also the first of my highly textured works. You can’t see it in this photo taken at an early stage of the work but I was able to manipulate the textures in the resin so you can actually feel the rips and cracks in the wall.</i></p>

<b>“Shadow”</b><p>Acrylic Resin and Mixed Materials on Canvas and Panel,</p><p>24” x 39”, 2007 </p><p><i>For this work I wanted to make a union of the sacred and the banal, a divine messenger on in the shadows of an abandoned back alley, a faded advertisement stretching across a decaying wall overwritten by graffiti. The colors are the subdued reds and browns of dusk and the reason for her to be in this place is left uncertain.</i></p>

<b>“The Accusation”</b><p>Acrylic Resin and Mixed Materials on Canvas and Panel,</p><p>24” x 39”, 2007 </p><p><i>An angry child stands on a rooftop, arms are crossed over her chest, her back bowed, dark eyes glaring at the viewer in mute accusation and disappointment. She seems hauntingly vulnerable yet empowered at the same time. Behind her, an inky blackness rises up from the very bowels of the Earth and crawls up the walls of tightly-packed buildings. This is one of the few emotive works I have done or will ever do.</i></p>

<b>“Release”</b><p>Acrylic Resin and Mixed Materials on Canvas and Panel,</p><p>39” x 24”, 2007 </p><p><i>A figure slowly floats upwards through the atmosphere, arms outstretched in acceptance and peace. A cold, fierce wind whistles past and violently flutters his pants legs, but he takes no notice. Nothing matters now anyway; all is irrelevant. “Take me”, he seems to say. No shiny field of gold here, just black. This is probably my only spiritual canvas, one of the few surreal ones, and also the only one that could bring me to tears. The faded symbol on his shirt means “Love”, and I will use it again a few more times in other works.</i></p>

<b>“Perfect”</b><p>Acrylic Resin and Mixed Materials on Canvas and Panel,</p><p>39” x 24”, 2007 </p><p><i>Lines stretch across a canvas, a rectangle of gold fills the bottom frame. But this is not an abstract work. A figure leans forward and stares, cracks forming in the hard porcelain perfection of her skin. Do the lines represent the blinding speed of modern civilization; are the cracks a commentary on our obsession with the superficial? I like to use the term “visual koans” in describing my work, koans referring to the intentionally meaningless and enigmatic phrases in Zen, used as a means to enlightenment. I can discuss the visual aspects of a work, but as to interpretation, viewers are always welcome to form their own.</i></p>

<b>“Nemesis”</b><p>Acrylic Resin and Mixed Materials on Canvas and Panel,</p><p>39” x 24”, 2007 </p><p><i>An avenging angel strides through a portal into pulsating fields of energy, the characters for “X-Ray” loom behind her. Is she looking at us, or looking through us? I find angels a visually powerful icon, and they appear three times so far in my works. This was the first time that I split an image field in two, yet managed to have them remain connected. It was fun having a symmetrical work for once, but the symmetry is offset by subtly unbalanced elements that made the work more dynamic.</i></p>

<b>“Singularity”</b><p>Acrylic Resin and Mixed Materials on Canvas and Panel,</p><p>32” x 32”, 2007 </p><p><i>I wanted to do a square painting again and I chose a powerful circle and placed a small figure (whom I’ve used once before) at the bottom, arms and torso cutting through the circle and absorbing their energy; I can almost hear the sound he generates. It fun placing visual elements in unbalanced blocks to counter the extreme centeredness of the piece, and interesting to me also to combine the ancient with the modern; text and numbers drift across the canvas, encountering bubble tracks generated by quantum particles while a god-like visage observes all.</i></p>

<b>“In the Presence of My Elders”</b><p>Acrylic Resin and Mixed Materials on Canvas and Panel,</p><p>24” x 39”, 2007 </p><p><i>A little boy stands in awe of the wise masters of the world, clutching their symbols of status and dominance. But is his trust misplaced? I did this work before the global economic meltdown, not suspecting how relevant it would be. The painting stood on my studio floor while events unfolded. I almost didn’t want to look at it. I used my spectral ribbon again to offset the stifling blackness, and to maybe signal that the answer will not be so simple, that the future is very much in play. And yet we can hope.</i></p>