Mark Whalen

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‘Time on my hands’ an exhibition by Mark Whalen at Casa Gilardi presented by SAENGER Galería. 

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 maquettes 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.
– Charlotte Mattocks – Station Gallery

CASA GILARDI

Casa Gilardi located in the San Miguel Chapultepec neighborhood of Mexico City is the last project built and designed by Mexican architect Luis Barragán in 1976, when he was 80 years old. It is considered a classic example of the influential architect’s work in combining the Mexican vernacular with the vivid use of European modernism, thus forming part of his architectural testament. 
The house was commissioned by Pancho Gilardi and Martín Luque partners in an advertising agency, after Barragán had formally retired. Barragán accepted the commission attracted by two conditions of the project: the enormous Jacarandá tree that should be kept on the site, and the swimming pool requested by the owners as part of the program. 
Its main characteristic lies not only in its architecture but in the multitude of sensations that its spaces offer, through the games of lights, colors, distribution, and architectural elements, such as the staircase without railing that seems to levitate under overhead light. A yellow light that passes through small vertical openings, floods the corridor that reaches a minimalist space with a reflecting pool next to the dining room, where a red painted wall supports the skylight.

‘Time on my hands’ an exhibition by Mark Whalen at Casa Gilardi presented by SAENGER Galería. 

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 maquettes 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.
– Charlotte Mattocks – Station Gallery

Time on my hands
Casa Gilardi
8 November, 2023

CASA GILARDI

Casa Gilardi located in the San Miguel Chapultepec neighborhood of Mexico City is the last project built and designed by Mexican architect Luis Barragán in 1976, when he was 80 years old. It is considered a classic example of the influential architect’s work in combining the Mexican vernacular with the vivid use of European modernism, thus forming part of his architectural testament. 
The house was commissioned by Pancho Gilardi and Martín Luque partners in an advertising agency, after Barragán had formally retired. Barragán accepted the commission attracted by two conditions of the project: the enormous Jacarandá tree that should be kept on the site, and the swimming pool requested by the owners as part of the program. 
Its main characteristic lies not only in its architecture but in the multitude of sensations that its spaces offer, through the games of lights, colors, distribution, and architectural elements, such as the staircase without railing that seems to levitate under overhead light. A yellow light that passes through small vertical openings, floods the corridor that reaches a minimalist space with a reflecting pool next to the dining room, where a red painted wall supports the skylight.

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STATION is delighted to participate in Frieze Seoul. Our presentation brings together three well-known contemporary Australian artists: Polly Borland, Tom Polo, and Mark Whalen. These artists individually question and transcend the portraiture genre through ambiguous and abstracted portrayals of the self, explored in the disciplines of photography, painting, and sculpture.

Frieze Seoul
COEX, Gangnam, Seoul
6–9 September, 2023

STATION is delighted to participate in Frieze Seoul. Our presentation brings together three well-known contemporary Australian artists: Polly Borland, Tom Polo, and Mark Whalen. These artists individually question and transcend the portraiture genre through ambiguous and abstracted portrayals of the self, explored in the disciplines of photography, painting, and sculpture.

STATION is delighted to participate in Frieze Seoul. Our presentation brings together three well-known contemporary Australian artists: Polly Borland, Tom Polo, and Mark Whalen. These artists individually question and transcend the portraiture genre through ambiguous and abstracted portrayals of the self, explored in the disciplines of photography, painting, and sculpture.

About Mark Whalen

Mark Whalen
B. 1982, Sydney, Australia

Lives and Works in Los Angeles, California, USA.

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2021
Mark Whalen. I Am Just Here, CAC Málaga, Centro de Arte Contemporáneo de Málaga, España

2020
Gentle Reminders, Over the influence Hong Kong

2019
Like Minded, Sophie Gannon Gallery

Ramble Ramble, Over the influence Gallery

2018

Squeeze, Edwina Corlette Gallery Grab Bag, Arsham Fieg Gallery

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

2016
Around The Bend, Chalk Horse Gallery Sydney Collisions, Sanderson Contemporary

2015
Occupied, Emma BeD 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, Black art projects at Future Perfect, Singapore Maze Walkers, Black art projects at Chalk Horse, Sydney

2012
Hallucination, Melbourne Art Fair, Edwina Corlette Gallery

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

2010
Observatory, Edwina Corlette Gallery, Brisbane

2009
Supreme Beings, Merry Karnowsky Gallery, Berlin

I’ll hit you up tomorrow, Merry Karnowsky Gallery, Los Angeles

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

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

2006
UnYl Never Gallery, Melbourne

In the Woods, China Heights Gallery, Sydney, China Heights Gallery, Sydney

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2018
The Rigg Prize, National Gallery of Victoria, Sophie Gannon Gallery & Flack Studio Kronenberg Wright Projects

2017
MCA Art Bar, curated by Reko Rennie, Museum of contemporary Figured out, Andrew Rafcaz gallery

2016
Immersion, Richard Heller Gallery

Project 16: The Agency of Things – Anna Pappas Gallery,

Art Central Hong Kong, Mark Whalen, Jasper Night, Dean Brown

2013
New Neon: Light, Painting & Photography, Bedford Gallery, Lesher Center for the Arts, California

Full Court Press, Artereal Gallery, Sydney

Gliterers Anonymous, RMIT School of Art, Melbourne

Fhloston Paradise, Merry Karnowsky Gallery, Los Angeles

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

2011
STEP09 with Black art projects, Milan

Get in touch

© 2023, Mark Whalen. All rights reserved.

STATION is delighted to participate in Frieze Seoul. Our presentation brings together three well-known contemporary Australian artists: Polly Borland, Tom Polo, and Mark Whalen. These artists individually question and transcend the portraiture genre through ambiguous and abstracted portrayals of the self, explored in the disciplines of photography, painting, and sculpture.

‘Time on my hands’ an exhibition by Mark Whalen at Casa Gilardi presented by SAENGER Galería.

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 maquettes 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.
– Charlotte Mattocks – Station Gallery

CASA GILARDI

Casa Gilardi located in the San Miguel Chapultepec neighborhood of Mexico City is the last project built and designed by Mexican architect Luis Barragán in 1976, when he was 80 years old. It is considered a classic example of the influential architect’s work in combining the Mexican vernacular with the vivid use of European modernism, thus forming part of his architectural testament. 
The house was commissioned by Pancho Gilardi and Martín Luque partners in an advertising agency, after Barragán had formally retired. Barragán accepted the commission attracted by two conditions of the project: the enormous Jacarandá tree that should be kept on the site, and the swimming pool requested by the owners as part of the program. 
Its main characteristic lies not only in its architecture but in the multitude of sensations that its spaces offer, through the games of lights, colors, distribution, and architectural elements, such as the staircase without railing that seems to levitate under overhead light. A yellow light that passes through small vertical openings, floods the corridor that reaches a minimalist space with a reflecting pool next to the dining room, where a red painted wall supports the skylight.