acrylic, graphite, colour pencil, UVLS varnish on board, panel: 1070 x 1016 x 50 mm
2. Relativity (2012)
acrylic, graphite, colour pencil, pigment ink, UVLS varnish on board, panel: 800 x 956 x 50 mm
3. South (2012), acrylic, colour pencil, UVLS varnish on board, panel: 798 x 950 x 50 mm
4 Just Us (2012)
acrylic, graphite, colour pencil, UVLS varnish on board, panel: 800 x 954 x 50 mm
5 Modern Love (2012) triptych; acrylic, graphite, colour pencil, UVLS varnish
1680 x 1015 x 50 mm
1680 x 3075 x 50 mm
6. At the Exact Same Moment (2012) acrylic, graphite, colour pencil, pigment ink, 24 k gold, UVLS varnish on board, panel: 1070 x 1015 x 50 mm
7. Space (2012), acrylic, colour pencil, UVLS varnish on board, panel: 452 x 362 x 50 mm
In Relativity Marc Blake presents us with a suite of works that examines the place of the individual within society. In a world that displays ever more connectivity but, paradoxically, ever more disconnection, Blake examines ideas of isolation within a multitude, the transitory nature of the moment, and the uncertainty of the future.
The idea of ongoing process is evidenced in the techniques Blake uses, as well as in his subject matter. Through the manipulation of found images that have been deconstructed and recomposed, the works retain a sense of layered histories. His transferral of images imprints them into the surface of the plywood and they become part of the surface rather than sitting upon it. Likewise Blake’s use of the natural woodgrain turns the medium into the subject matter. In At the Exact Same Moment ply ripples form on the lake, morphing into ridges of earth as the tones of Blake’s palette shift from violet to brown
Whereas previous paintings have contained a number of seemingly disconnected tableaux, in Relativity Blake has pulled his focus tight, illustrating a single instant. His lone subjects, faces often turned away, invite solipsistic reflection on our own place in the world. Do we take our place in the world irrespective of others around us, or are we constructed by their mirrored glances?
Blake’s depictions of singular moments do not exist in a vacuum, each is relative to that which has gone before and that which will follow after. Form and Emptiness reveals this layered time: the frozen second, the two-score-and-ten of man, the long centuries of the ‘old man pine.’ (1) It is no coincidence that Blake has chosen this Asian symbol of longevity to tower above the monk practising his martial art. It serves as a form of memento mori, as do the cherry blossoms in Relativity, their fleeting presence a reminder that ‘this too shall pass.’
1. Marc Blake, Artist’s Statement, 2012
EXHIBITION PRICELIST
FormandEmptiness(2012)
Relativity(2012)
South(2012)
JustUs(2012)
ModernLove(2012)
AttheExactSameMoment(2012)
MARC BLAKE
b. 1974, lives Auckland
“I seek to create paintings that contemplate notions of time, space, experience and the interconnectivity of things.”(1)
A raft of (seemingly) disconnected dream-like images inhabits the works of Marc Blake. Realist images of children, schoolgirls and old men are belied by apparent contradictions of time and place. Using flattened, unreal perspectives, and accompanied by stylised trees and imagined landscapes, Blake’s figures are trapped in singular instances of time.
In a world that displays ever more connectivity but, paradoxically, ever more disconnection, Blake examines ideas of isolation within a multitude, the transitory nature of the moment, and the uncertainty of the future.
Marc Blake was born in Auckland where he lived and studied gaining a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from the University of Auckland. After time spent in Japan and Sydney, Blake returned to New Zealand in 2011 and is currently based in Auckland. A regular exhibitor since 2002, he has participated in solo and group exhibitions at private galleries and public institutions including the Kyoto Cultural Museum, BankART Yokohama, and the Auckland Art Gallery.
A three-time finalist in the Wallace Trust Award, in 2011 Blake’s entry, Future Fund, was selected to be part of the Wallace Trust exhibition that travelled to the Dowse Art Museum in Wellington. Blake’s works are held in the Wallace Trust Collection as well as in private collections throughout New Zealand and abroad.
1. Marc Blake, Artist’s Statement, 2012
Future Fund (2011)
MARC BLAKE
b. 1974, lives Auckland
EDUCATION
Bachelor of Arts (English Literature), University of Auckland
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2012 Relativity,Milford Galleries Dunedin
Analogue,Michael Reid Gallery, Sydney, Australia
2011 Status Update,Milford Galleries Dunedin
2008 Nothing Like This,Backspace, Christchurch
2007 Condensed History, Aveia Gallery, Auckland
2006
Where It All Begins, Backspace Gallery, Christchurch
Watergarden, Arts Council Koganecho,Yokohama,Japan
2000 New Paintings,EON, Auckland
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2012 The Surreal, Milford Galleries Dunedin
2011 Wallace Art Awards, Auckland
2010 Introducing Marc Blake and Tim Thatcher, Milford Galleries Dunedin
Wallace Art Awards, Auckland
Anna Pappas Gallery, Melbourne
2008 Wallace Art Awards, Auckland
New Zealand Painting & Printmaking Award, Auckland
Anthony Harper Award for Contemporary Art, Christchurch
New Zealand Fashion Week, Auckland
2007 Off The Wall Project, Auckland Art Gallery, Auckland
Light and Dark,Satellite Gallery, Auckland
Backspace,Wellington, New Zealand
2006 In the Midst (with Jos Wheeler) (independent), Auckland
2005 3rd Annual Amuse Artjam,Kyoto Cultural Museum, Kyoto, Japan
FIVE (with Ko Masuda),BankART Studio NYK, Yokohama,Japan
AWARDS
2011 Finalist, Annual Wallace Art Awards
2010 Finalist, Annual Wallace Art Awards
2008
Finalist,New Zealand Painting & Printmaking Award
Finalist, Anthony Harper Award for Contemporary Art
Finalist, Annual Wallace Art Awards
2005 Two month studio residency & exhibition,BankART NYK,Yokohama,Japan
Finalist,3Rd Annual Amuse Inc. Artjam,Kyoto Cultural Museum,Kyoto,Japan
