Rob McLeish “Thanks Criticism!”

Kansas

This event has ended.

KANSAS presents Thanks Criticism!, a solo exhibition of new work by Rob McLeish, in conjunction with his third solo exhibition at Neon Parc, Melbourne, AU.

Rob McLeish produces enigmatic works in a wide range of media, including sculpture, installation, drawing and collage. A common thread running through his diverse practice is the playful aggravation of chosen subjects. These often relate to idealism surrounding the creative act, to which McLeish applies a distinct brand of joyful skepticism.

Thanks Criticism! is comprised of two series of new sculptural works.

The first series is a grouping of floor-based structures made from epoxy resin and stainless steel. The discordant stainless steel components, a combination of ready made and custom fabricated units, appear as a formal convergence of sink, trough, urinal, drinking fountain and swimming pool. The stainless steel configurations promote a loaded psychological space for the presentation of visceral epoxy resin forms. Grafted onto pool railing protruding from the bases, the viscous resin is applied by hand. The material displays all the physical properties of water-based clay; except malleability is restricted to a short period of time before chemical curing occurs. The resulting forms appear latent - truncated between composition and decomposition. McLeish’s contrasting use of materials offset a sentiment of pristine, sterile containment against the implications of human touch in all its messiness.

The second body of sculptural works is a series of wall hanging casts. The origin of these objects are vinyl gymnastic mats. Through a process of alterations, the mats are reduced to the periphery of the stitched seams and cut into long vertical strips. Gaffer tape is then used to bind the lengths and hem all exposed edges. The use of tape references the binding of ankles and wrists often seen on gymnasts as they pursue the goal of correct form. As finished works, cast in epoxy resin, the fetishistic strips conjure a bodily take on formalist sculptural practice.

Thanks Criticism! continues McLeish’s engagement with reoccurring themes of utility, excess, surface fetish, corporeality, humor, violence and constraint. The ambitious new sculptures mark a significant contribution to his complex, idiosyncratic visual language.

Rob McLeish (b. 1976 Melbourne, Australia) received his BA from Swinburne University, Melbourne, AU and his MFA from Monash University, AU. Recent solo and group exhibitions include Neon Parc, Melbourne, AU; KANSAS, New York, NY; NADA, Miami, FL; Art Los Angeles Contemporary, CA; ArtSpace, Sydney, AU; Adelaide Biennial, Art Gallery Of South Australia, AU; Ian Potter Museum, Melbourne, AU; DB, Sydney, AU and Gertrude Contemporary, Melbourne, AU. McLeish completed a studio residency at ArtSpace, Sydney, AU in 2016 and in 2009-2010 he was a studio artist at Gertrude Contemporary, Melbourne, AU. He has received grants from Arts Victoria and Australia Council. His work is included in the National Gallery of Victoria, AU; Artbank, AU and significant private collections around the world. He currently lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.