Austin Martin White has crafted an endearing display of work with Tracing Delusionships at Petzel Gallery.
The show includes eleven pieces, depictions of dark and whimsical worlds, the majority of which are at a very
large scale. White evokes a unique dimensionality within some of his paintings, a depth achieved through a
layering of materials. Screen mesh forms the base of the canvas, creating a moiré pattern with the illusion of
wavy stripes in the background, appearing almost holographic. I found his paintings much more interesting
than his works on paper due to this quality of the mesh, as it adds movement to the pieces as the moiré shifts and
changes with the angle at which you view it.
I was drawn to his series of paintings titled Composite Ruins that were painted with this technique and layered
with thick, textured, brightly colored paint. These pieces are truly monumental and impressive to stand before.
As you move closer, the image of massive ruins falls away and the marks become an abstract maze of vibrant
color. This experience of oscillating between these two dimensions in the work made them feel like a psychedelic
vision.
White was inspired by artist Giovanni Battista Piranesi, whose work I can see in these pieces- Yet Piranesi's
detailed etchings of ruins give the impression that they are recordings of an earthly traveler, while White's
paintings feel completely otherworldly. Outside of his Composite Ruins series I found his interpretation of the
Massacre of the Children of Bethel arresting. This piece references the artist Bob Thompson’s La Mort des Enfants,
a version of the biblical massacre of the innocents. This reinterpretation of his influences reinforces his similar
motivation to reimagine history and its crumbling civilizations. I found this show to be inspirational in its
unique material exploration, and strong in its conceptual ties to the imagery regarding reinvention.
I think your description is pretty vivid, but at times it does not seem accurate. I don’t know if there is a “striped” pattern as screens are a grid, and am unsure about if I remember a “slick oiliness”. I think pointing to a specific series/painting is good at making your point. The ending, since it lacks a conclusion that makes a decisive judgment about the show feels a little abrupt. I think you have all the words and sentences to establish this point scattered throughout your writing, but it needs to be pushed by itself, so it might be good to reorganize this.
ReplyDeleteI think you introduced the exhibition in a concise manner by describing the visual nature of his pieces as well as touching upon the layering of the materials, which wholly captures your admiration for this material exploration. Reorganizing the second section of your writing would be impactful by diving deeper into one piece in particular and providing a slightly more interpretative analysis (what the works necessarily say or do) instead of focusing on how they look. Lastly, you could possibly conclude by emphasizing on the overall impact of the exhibition in order to make it a cohesive piece of writing. Nonetheless, a great job on the descriptive language used!
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