Alex Lawler

An article I had published on the Art Month blog.

Alex Lawler’s artist talk at Flinders Street Gallery on Saturday March13th was the first time I had seen this new work and only had time for quick walk through before Alex was introduced by the gallery’s owner. I was able to deduce however that Lawler was well versed in Modernist movements of the last 60 years.

For emerging artists, talking about their work can be a double-edged sword; it gives the artist a chance to extract from their work ideas that are most important to you, and also a chance to gauge from the audience which works or ideas interest them. However, the emerging artist is also very vulnerable; perhaps their oeuvre is not all that extensive and they have not really found themselves as artists yet and scrutinising questions can easily find them wanting. Also interesting about this scenario is the fact that viewers could encounter the artist before the work, whereas before the emergence of these artist talks, their personality was absent, removed from the experience of their work. However there is a lot to like about Alex Lawler. He’s young, charismatic, and well read. He has European breeding, an affecting but not overwhelming sense of confidence, and the ability to succinctly communicate quite complicated ideas with seeming ease.

Three or four major themes are situated in his work. The carpet paintings speak to a Post-Minimalist tendency, which strove to incorporate the reductionist underpinings of Minimalism, but to explore more fully elements of materiality. For the Post-Minimalists,carpet would have provided a tactile response from the “body ego”,perhaps as Lawler suggested, the sensation of walking barefoot on carpet. Particle board provides another departure point in terms of materiality. These works, which explore High art and design colour theories, are displayed at a twisted angle, a reference to Mondrian and Malevich; and Lawler aptly posits, why wouldn’t or shouldn’t a painting look as good at that angle? One of the major works in the exhibition (coincidentally it was purchased by Art Bank), is -Minimalist exploration. Sixteen squares are positioned in a square, but are all slightly askew. This softening of the strict geometry of seminal artists like Carl Andre complements the tonal qualities of the individual compartments.

An intriguing element of this show was the paintings of cigarette packets. The soft, crumpled form that one associates with a pack ofMarlboro Lights has been flattened onto the canvas, and the design aesthetic spotlighted. These could be design mock-ups for anything,airline logos, playing cards, cardboard juice containers, yet there is something that makes them recognizable as cigarette packets.

Perhaps the most furtive ground treaded by Lawler in this show is his inclusion of utilitarianism as a fundamental concept in the work. His vodka bar is based on seriality and reminds me of Donald Judd, yet once again the choice of materials differentiates Lawler’s piece. As I walked into the gallery I was surprised to see a take away coffee container sitting on the polystyrene cinder blocks, and even some brochures. But was reassured when it became clear that these were Lawler’s possessions, and he was indeed subconsciously stressing the functionality of this work. The utopian ideals of Modernist designers perhaps coming to fruition, and just up the road on Flinders St.

My major criticism of Lawler’s show is a lack of focus, but perhaps that should not be discouraged in a young artist. He alluded to thefact that he worked on all of these works simultaneously over a six month period, whereas perhaps he should have focused on fewer ideas and considered them for longer.

His short and sharp speech, to a disappointingly small, but appreciative crowd, covered all the bases. He discussed the title and premise of the exhibition, chronicled his Samstag Award and plans to study in London; he spoke of the discourse between speculative and functionalist thought taking place in his work. He surmised effectively his raison d’etre, that the questions that arise during the production of his work are the reason that he wants to produce art.