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Catherine Shaw

NEW WORK
	White Cube Hong Kong
 
The collision of art, urban architecture and modern society is at the core of Mark Bradford's new exhibition at the White Cube gallery in Hong Kong. The Los Angeles-based artist has made a name for himself with his intriguing abstract collage works using "found" materials such as billboard posters, end papers from hair perms, and newspapers. Bradford cuts, assembles and then sands these collected materials to create complex, layered works that reflect his detailed investigations into social anthropology.
According to Bradford, the 10 works created for the show were inspired by Hong Kong's public housing situation.
"I visited a few estates and immediately felt the density and pace of life. I was struck by the premium that land has in Hong Kong. I started looking into floor plans and one thing led to another," he says.
Bradford is selective about which space he uses for his projects.
"I don't do people's homes," he says. "I prefer public spaces like airports. Private spaces are safe and people are less vulnerable. If you get lost in an airport you are lost. No matter how cool you are you are just like everyone else — lost."
Circus, a chromatically rich image showing the exterior of a housing estate and measuring 2.59 metres by 3.65 metres, is the exhibition's centrepiece. The blueprints, repurposed and abstracted with red and gold paint, represents a new direction for the artist.
"It is the most figurative work I've done," says Bradford, whose artistic assemblage more often reflects aerial views. "I have never done a perspective painting — perhaps because I am an abstract painter but it felt a little like a [Andreas] Gursky photograph. It grabbed me because the perspective really drew me in. I have always been very intrigued by the outside of buildings. I can just walk down the street and be content with watching facades. I don't have to go inside."
Accessing the materials for the show proved surprisingly easy. Bradford downloaded building plans from the internet and then set about cutting and pasting, combining them with posters, digitally printed colour sheets and newspaper. The materials were partially sanded to create an intricate abstract reality that highlights the lack of affordable living space in the city.
"It isn't the original New Harmony or Standard Block building plan any more," he says, referring to the named blueprints. "The room I've cut doesn't lead through to its door and the spaces are interrupted and don't make any sense. It is like a maze that doesn't go anywhere."
Bradford says the detailed research at the beginning of a project is just as exciting as the last step of sanding the artworks to reveal the final product.
"I am the king of Amazon," he laughs. "I read everything I can find, so for this exhibition I read about the history of Hong Kong, the housing, art history, and fiction. I even use YouTube to see what people are wearing in the street."
 
White Cube Hong Kong, 50 Connaught Road Central, Tuesday-Saturday, 11am-7pm. Until August 30. Inquiries: 2592 2000
 


Exhibition: Mark Bradford's new series takes inspiration from Hong Kong housing

Mailing a Country 1, mixed media on canvas. Photos: Mark Bradford, Fredrik Nilsen

Portrait of Mark Bradford

Plan View 74, mixed media on canvas

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The collision of art, urban architecture and modern society is at the core of Mark Bradford's new exhibition at the White Cube gallery in Hong Kong.


Exhibition: Mark Bradford's new series takes inspiration from Hong Kong housing

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The collision of art, urban architecture and modern society is at the core of Mark Bradford's new exhibition at the White Cube gallery in Hong Kong.

The collision of art, urban architecture and modern society is at the core of Mark Bradford's new exhibition at the White Cube gallery in Hong Kong.