Mark Whalen

Born 1982 in Sydney, Australia. Lives and Works in Los Angeles, California, USA.

Mark Whalen’s versatile and interdisciplinary practice explores sculpture with scales ranging from small table-based works to large immersive sculptures. Whalen’s moquettes are realised in the digital realm, intentionally without gender or physical body, then fabricated with polyurethane and cast aluminum and marble. In bright colors, the distinctive and exaggerated facial characteristics and body language concurrently shift under the weight of social anxieties. The resulting figurations are part of an overarching narrative : each body part belongs to a single fictional protagonist, cumulating to represent vast spectrum of human emotion.

Whalen has exhibited extensively internationally, including at Centro de Arte Contemporaneo De Malaga, Spain; Museum of Contemporary Art Maco Italy , National Gallery of Australia; and the National Gallery of Victoria, Australia.

1982年出生於澳洲悉尼。 在美國加州洛杉磯生活和工作。

Whalen 的作品主要透過於迷幻世界中的瑣事日常諷刺社會。 Whalen 擅於將工業材料與工作室隨手可得的物品與日常主題混合在一起，以數碼骨架塑造性別模糊的人類造像，透過聚氨酯、鑄鋁和大理石元素生動地去描繪生活的愚蠢。 他的雕塑作品像是在訴說生命中的曲折離奇，同時又提出一堆關於演化和人生的問題，引人入勝。

Whelan以深藍色、猩紅色和洋紅色與一系列的明亮色調並列，與朦朧的迷幻氛圍一致。 畫作中人物的抽象角度和強烈的幾何圖案Whelan探討了我們作為個體和物種在生活中經歷複雜的位移和定位。 他的作品喚起了人性的本質，每個身體部位都屬於一個虛構的主角，同時又被社交焦慮扭曲，背負著人生的五味雜陳。每個雕塑都邀請觀眾與其同在，圍繞細看，細味當中的故事或提出更多問題。

PREVIOUS EXHIBITIONS

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  • 2023
    Time on My Hands - A show by Mark Whalen at Casa Gilardi | Saenger Galería | Mexico City, Mexico

    2022
    Close My Eyes | Over the Influence | Bangkok, Thailand

    2021
    I Am Just Here | CAC MÁLAGA | Malaga, Spain

    2020
    Gentle Reminders | Over the Influence | Hong Kong

    2019
    Ramble Ramble | Over the Influence | Los Angeles, CA
    Like Minded | Sophie Gannon Gallery | Melbourne, Australia

    2018
    Squeeze | Edwina Corlette Gallery | New Farm, Queensland, Australia

    2017
    Pressure | Black Art projects | Melbourne, Australia
    Bindings | Pop68/Ruttowski 68 | Cologne, Germany

    2016
    Around the Bend | Chalk Horse | Sydney, Australia

    2015
    Occupied | Emma BeD Gallery | Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
    Trapezoid | Merry Karnowsky Gallery | Los Angeles, CA, USA
    Between the Cracks | Edwina Corlette Gallery | Brisbane, Australia
    Improper Fraction | Chalk Horse Gallery | Sydney, Australia

    2014
    Stranded | Merry Karnowsky gallery | Los Angeles, CA, USA

    2013
    I’ll meet you in the middle | Black art projects at Future Perfect | Singapore
    Maze Walkers | Black art projects at Chalk Horse | Sydney, Australia

    2011
    One Moment Please | Gallery A.S | Sydney, Australia
    Anomaly | Merry Karnowsky Gallery | Los Angeles, CA, USA
    White Out | Black art projects | Melbourne, Australia

    2010
    Observatory | Edwina Corlette Gallery | Brisbane, Australia

    2009
    Supreme Beings | Merry Karnowsky Gallery | Berlin, Germany
    I’ll hit you up tomorrow | Merry Karnowsky Gallery | Los Angeles, CA, USA

    2008
    Super Systems | Merry Karnowsky Gallery | Berlin, Germany
    Everything’s AOK | UnYl Never Gallery | Melbourne, Australia

    2007
    Kill Communication | Monster Children Gallery | Sydney, Australia
    Bailbond | China Heights Gallery | Sydney, Australia

    2006
    Solo Exhibition | UnYl Never Gallery | Melbourne, Australia
    In the Woods | China Heights Gallery | Sydney, Australia

  • 2024
    Intersections | AISHONANZUKA | Hong Kong

    2023
    Boundless | Over the Influence | Hong Kong

    2019
    Street art, NOVIA Art Gallery

    2018
    The Rigg Prize | Flack Studio, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne Kronenberg Wright Projects | Sydney, Australia
    A Tree Falls in the Woods - curated by FMLY Projects | Hashimoto Contemporary | San Francisco, CA

    2017
    Figurative Futures | 101/EXHIBIT | Los Angeles, CA
    Figure Out! Bodily Form in Contemporary Ceramics | Andrew Rafasz Gallery | Chicago, IL, USA

    2016
    Immersion | Richard Heller Gallery | Santa Monica, CA, USA
    Project 16: The Agency of Things | Anna Pappas Gallery | Melbourne, Australia
    TWELVE DAYS | The Cat Street Gallery | Hong Kong
    Konstructs | Richard Heller Gallery | Los Angeles, CA, USA

    2013
    New Neon: Light, Painting & Photography | Bedford Gallery, Lesher Center for the Arts | California, USA
    Full Court Press | Artereal Gallery | Sydney, Australia
    Kirk Pedersen: The Urban Asia Series and the Evolution of Zero+ Publishing | Offramp Gallery | Pasadena, CA, USA
    10 Year Anniversary Show | White Walls | San Francisco, CA, USA
    Gliterers Anonymous | RMIT School of Art | Melbourne, Australia
    Fhloston Paradise | Merry Karnowsky Gallery | Los Angeles, CA, USA

    2012
    Midnight on the Sun | Fecal Face | San Francisco, CA, USA
    Portals | Merry Karnowsky Gallery | Los Angeles, CA, USA

    2011
    STEP09 with Black art projects | Milan
    Super Heroes | Edwina Corlette Gallery | Brisbane, Australia
    Merry Karnowsky 2 Projects | Merry Karnowsky Gallery | Los Angeles
    100, Langford 120 with Black art projects | Melbourne, Australia

    2010-11
    Space Invaders | National touring exhibition | Australia

    2010
    Disorder | Penrith Regional Gallery | Australia

    2009
    Apocalypse Wow | Museum of Contemporary Art Macro | Rome
    The Mirror Stage | Monster Children Gallery | Sydney, Australia
    Hard Lee | Merry Karnowsky Gallery | Berlin, Germany

    2008
    Small Gems | Metro 5 Gallery | Melbourne, Australia
    Subliminal Projects | Park Life Gallery | San Francisco, CA, USA
    Mark Whalen and Cleon Peterson | White Walls Gallery | San Francisco, CA, USA
    Mark Whalen and Ryan Shaffer | Park Life Gallery | San Francisco, CA, USA
    The Alternative Philosophy | Leonard Street Gallery | London, UK
    Hard Lee | Merry Karnowsky Gallery | Los Angeles, CA, USA
    Welcome Home | Fecal face
    High Math | Pool Gallery | Berlin, Germany

    2007
    Replace ‘please’ with ‘fast’ and ‘thank you’ with ‘good’ | The Lab 101 Gallery | Los Angeles, CA, USA
    Fecal Face 7.5 Anniversary | 111 Minna Gallery | San Francisco, CA, USA
    Across the Board | Wall Space Gallery | Sydney, Australia
    Bootlegger | UnYl Never Gallery | Melbourne, Australia
    Refill Seven | MTV Gallery Mini Pieces | Melbourne Museum, Australia

    2006
    Sixteen x Twelve | Monster Children Gallery, Sydney, Australia
    All Style City | China Heights Gallery | Sydney, Australia
    Semi-permanent | The Breadbox Gallery |
    What the fuck? | Monster Children Gallery | Sydney, Australia

  • Artbank | Australia

    National Gallery of Australia | Canberra, Australia

    Mainland Art Fund | Melbourne, Australia