Marc Standing can’t escape the British. Having grown up in Zimbabwe, he then moved to Australia and is now based in Hong Kong. All three former colonial countries have influenced his work in different ways and seeped into his latest exhibition, ‘The Shadow Men’. Standing says on the show, “It is very much about the ramifications of the legacy of colonialism from my African perspective combining my own mythological stories with a surrealist twist.”
Also added to the creative cocktail shaker was a residency in Puebla, Mexico. There Standing learned to work in traditional papier-mâché, his first foray into sculpture since his art school days, sixteen years ago. “Before my residency I began working on assemblage pieces consisting of found objects but learning from my mentor in Mexico gave me the confidence to push my work into a more sculptural direction,” says Standing. “I experienced the Day of the Dead celebrations too, which was fantastic. I have always been interested in our mortality, how we deal with death, and how different cultures process the inevitable so it was very apt to be there during this time. It was an important aspect of the residency.”
The exhibition is made up of 26 pieces ranging from works on paper, oil painting and papier-mâché. What links the pieces is a shared symbolism, especially that of masks, an exploration of death, the afterlife, and a dark undercurrent. Standing’s paintings draw on mythologies but he purposely wanted to make his own stories and aesthetic sensibility, creating works that have both Mexican and African elements but aren’t just straight appropriation. Although he’s predominantly a painter, Standing says his starting point for the exhibition was working on the sculptural pieces. “I then did a whole range of watercolour sketches before starting the paintings, as I wanted the exhibition to work as a cohesive whole, where the paintings would reference the sculptures. Personally it was important to include some works on paper as this gives the audience a connection point between the paintings and sculptures. However, my approach to painting is always spontaneous. I first create layers and textures before figurative elements evolve. The painting will always dictate to me what form it will take, for me it is a little bit of a shamanistic magical process.”
‘The Shadow Men’ sees Standing revisiting former motifs while pushing himself to explore different painting techniques. One of those techniques was using mark making to stain the canvas, wiping away paint and creating patterns similar to African batik. “I was born in Zimbabwe and lived there into my early twenties so Africa runs firmly in my blood. I love African textiles, artifacts, effigy figures and the traditional mark making you find on masks and traditional crafts. There is a spontaneity and creativity in Africa of using whatever you can find around you to create art.” While Standing’s art strays into shadowy territory, he says he hopes the audience, “sees the beauty in the work, as life is not black and white but made of countless shades of grey, as well as, metaphorical lightness and darkness.”
King Street Gallery on William
Until September 19, 2015
Sydney
The Gatherers, 2015, oil on canvas, 60 x 60cm
The Celestials, 2015, oil on canvas, 180 x 150cm
Courtesy the artist and King Street Gallery
