Blake Malone
Blake Malone's artistic practice is deeply engaged with a critical examination of contemporary art, focusing on its commercial aspects and the broader implications of commodification.
Malone consciously shifts his techniques and styles across his works to resist the homogenisation that often accompanies market-driven art practices. By doing so, he challenges the notion of the "marketable brand" within the art world, instead advocating for a more fluid and dynamic approach to artistic expression.
Central to Malone’s critique is his innovative use of the internet. He views it as a democratizing tool that allows artists to transcend traditional genres and engage with an extensive repository of imagery, ranging from art history to everyday life. This digital resource not only enables Malone to create works that are reflective and critical of the past but also allows him to engage directly with contemporary issues.
His art frequently incorporates themes of politics, history, and societal underpinnings, utilising these elements to comment on the current state of society and the pervasive sense of melancholy that often accompanies it.
Furthermore, Malone's work explores the subversive potentials within society, questioning the status quo and exposing the contradictions inherent in late capitalism. His paintings are not merely visual experiences but are deeply reflective, pushing viewers to reconsider their relationship with art and its socio-political context. By embracing a multiplicity of styles and resources, Malone's work resists easy categorization, emphasizing the ongoing tension between art as a commodified object and as a vehicle for critical thought and resistance.
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Born in Australia, a graduate of Sydney University and currently residing in Berlin, Germany, Malone brings a global view on contemporary issues. Each body of works is continuously informed and shaped by his immediate surroundings and their histories. For example, while participating at the Pilotenküche Residency in Leipzig part of his work reflected on the tension between East and West Germany, both historical and current.
Open Studio View
Pilotenküche Residency, Leipzig, Germany
2024
Installation View of “The Style is Death”
University of Sydney Gallery, Sydney, Australia
2023
Artist interview:
How would you describe your artistic practice?
I would describe myself as a sort of conceptual painter—what I do depends on the idea.
Sometimes it’s political, sometimes it’s about the language of painting, and other times it’s more personal. I adapt my style to what I’m trying to say, constantly pushing and challenging what it means to be a painter.
What concepts appear consistently in your practice?
My work is always linked with art history, particularly the history and language of painting.
I explore how history and politics are in tandem—without art history, you don’t have history, and without history, you don’t have art history.
What techniques or materials do you frequently use?
I’m kind of a traditional painter—I mainly use oil on canvas.
But sometimes I’ll use material like old bed linen when I am a bit more experimental, that kind of comes from Sigmar Polke and Francis Picabia and playing with their way of thinking about painting.
Blake Malone