MARK HISLOP:
Every Spectator is a Telepath
30/05/2024 - 19/06/2024
Mark Hislop’s diverse interests in process, photography, light, planetary imagery, and neuropsychology intersect in his recent series of paintings. The exhibition’s title, Every Spectator is a Telepath, challenges viewers to transcend the confines of the tangible world, aiming to evoke emotions and sensations beyond the visible and known—echoing the sentiment of one of Hislop’s painting titles: “The unconscious is good at doing its job.”
The artist emphasizes, “It’s important for me in the studio that the making of the work and the outcome is not routine—so the process functions both as a conceptual device and a framework to work within.”
The paintings in this body of work follow a two-step process. Initially, an intuitive gestural mark-making stage is followed by a more measured response. This dichotomy mirrors the distinction between unconscious and conscious thought processes, as seen in psychology and meditation practices. The two stages differ in method and speed.
The first gestural action involves spilling, pouring, and manipulating paint on canvas swiftly and without revision, with the canvas positioned horizontally on the floor or a table. This stage relies on instinct and intuition, with the paintings later moved to the wall. The subsequent step is slower and demands conscious, logical decision-making.
Transparent yellow discs, lens filters, concentric circles, squiggly lines, and colour-laden targets are applied using spray paint and stencils, devoid of tell-tale brush marks or traces of the artist’s hand. Depth and transparency intertwine with planetary-like imagery and scientific infographics, executed with precision and intentionality, inviting further contemplation on distance and temporal journeys.
WORKS
Mark Hislop 'Yellow vision 1' ink on paper, synthetic polymer paint on acrylic sheet 48 x 34 cm $2,000
Mark Hislop 'Yellow vision 2' ink on paper, synthetic polymer paint on acrylic sheet 48 x 34 cm $2,000
Mark Hislop 'Conspiratorial alarm display (hack 1) painting 3' synthetic polymer paint on canvas 76 x 60cm $2,900
Mark Hislop 'Eclipse 1' graphite, charcoal, synthetic polymer paint, mylar, paper 48 x 34 cm $2,000
Mark Hislop 'Eclipse 2' graphite, charcoal, synthetic polymer paint, mylar, paper 48 x 34cm $2,000
Mark Hislop 'The unconscious is good at doing it's job painting' synthetic polymer paint on canvas 183 x 152cm $11,000
Mark Hislop 'It was supposed to be a comedy but it came out kinda dark 1' lithograph, screenprint, ink on paper collage 48 x 34cm $2,000
Mark Hislop 'It was supposed to be a comedy but it came out kinda dark 2' lithograph, screenprint, ink on paper collage 48 x 34cm $2,000
Mark Hislop 'It was supposed to be a comedy but it came out kind of dark 3' lithograph, screenprint, ink on paper 48 x 34cm $2,000
Mark Hislop 'It was supposed to be a comedy but it came out kind of dark 4' lithograph, screenprint, ink on paper 48 x 34cm $2,000
Mark Hislop 'Conspiratorial alarm display painting 2' synthetic polymer paint on canvas 76 x 60cm $2,900
Mark Hislop 'Conspiratorial alarm display painting 1' synthetic polymer paint on canvas 76 x 60cm $2,900
Mark Hislop 'A conference in the field of consciousness painting' synthetic polymer paint on canvas 167 x 137cm $9,000
Mark Hislop 'Every spectator is a telepath painting' synthetic polymer paint on canvas 167 x 137cm $9,000
Mark Hislop 'Woo-woo metaphysics painting' synthetic polymer paint on canvas 76 x 60cm $2,900
Mark Hislop 'Conspiratorial alarm display painting' synthetic polymer paint on canvas 48 x 32cm $2,000