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By: Damien Worst
Date: 29th Nov 06
Medium: Painting
Drink: Anything, as long as you look good holding it
What:
Variable Speeds – Mark McCarthy
Where:
Dianne Tanzer Gallery, 108-110 Gertrude St, Fitzroy
When:
Until December 16
Tues-Fri 10-5, Sat 12-5
How much:
Free
Image by:
Mark McCarthy
Even though it’s been seriously abused over the years (Turner anyone?), Variable Speeds by Melbourne-based artist Mark McCarthy proves that painting is still a rich and expressive medium that, when handled correctly, can be fresh and powerful.
It’s hard to miss 150 oil-on-canvas birds opposite the commission flats on Gertrude Street. Like The Opponent, his previous exhibition at the Gertrude space, in Variable Speeds McCarthy has painted on a large and ambitious scale, whilst paying close attention to detail and subject. His new series of work explores the ambiguity of a number of contrasting images, unifying an array of seemingly unconnected subjects via a background of Naples yellow.