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February Issue
2008
Corrigan Gallery in Charleston, SC, Features Works by Paul Mardikian
The
Corrigan Gallery in Charleston, SC, is very pleased to present
the first solo show of works by Paul Mardikian entitled Totems
and Icons, on view from Feb. 1 - 29, 2008.
A dream comes true this February that was 20 years in the making. This talented handler of history who has brought the Hunley artifacts back to life as well as those of the Titanic and the Alabama, is realizing the dream of developing his artwork and having a show. When profiled in the Post and Courier last year, he said he would someday like to have a show and now is the time. 2007 saw the first showing of his works at two group shows in Charleston and its inclusion in the Medical University of South Carolina's new Carolina Contemporary Collection in the Ashley River Tower. And now his own show will be mounted for the month of February.
Mardikian was born in France in 1963 and spent most of his childhood in Boulogne-sur-Seine near Paris. At the age of 25, while studying archaeology and conservation science at the School of the Louvre and the Sorbonne University, he developed specific tools and materials to express himself in abstract painting. Art restoration training offered a precious understanding of the chemical, physical and optical properties of paints. Working with the substance of paint and shaping it into a unique, non-representational form of expression has been inspiring for Mardikian. He develops the surfaces of his work as though he were both the elements putting on traces and the conservator taking away the ravages of time.
From prehistoric sites in Europe to the shipwrecks of the Titanic or the Hunley submarine, Mardikian's career conserving archaeological artifacts feeds his artwork. The direct connection to the past, discovering and preserving the fragile remains of ancient civilizations, has left a permanent mark on his artwork. Interpreting the marks of humanity such as imprints, traces of fire, tracks, trash, brush stokes, graffiti and scarifications left by a human being on any given substrate are part of this iconography. Those traces, whether intentional or inadvertent, are symbolic of the temporary physical presence of a person in the flux of time. The study of this led Mardikian to create his own "abstract traces of humanity." He calls the works icons and "paints" them. Some pieces become standing sculpture but most are wall pieces.
Mardikian says, "I have always felt that 'abstraction' was a state of mind, a particular way to look at the world and comprehend its substance. As a child, I was fascinated by the asphalt sidewalk on my way to school. It was like flying over an imaginary landscape. My brain was scanning every crack or variation in the texture. Years later, I was deeply moved by Pierre Soulages's black paintings. For me, abstract painting is a way to experiment more freely with the physical properties of paints including random and accidental occurrences with no representational intention."
"Two types of artwork emerged beginning in 1988: the small and medium sized icon paintings on wood and the larger paintings on canvases," continues Mardikian. "Each work resembles a palimpsest with its unique layered history. Substances are added and subtracted to recompose the visible skin of the painting. The surface is the base on which materials interact. Pigments like those the prehistoric artists used are usually binders to create a textured background similar to a mineral substrate. Each piece represents a specific challenge: the outcome is never predictable. The mystery of the creation is total. It may take a year to give a soul to a piece: scraping off, adding layers, exploring, and eventually, leaving it alone."
Mardikian says that titles given to the artwork should "not be considered explanatory or descriptive but more like poetic counterpoints." But there is much telling in the titles chosen for the works. Entire histories in short titles are and create symbols representing cultures. For example, Mastaba from the Arabic word for bench is the name of the structures in Egypt used as burial vaults that predate pyramids sloped walls with flat roofs. Mardikian's icons and totems both words for objects venerated and revered as representing sacred beings or ancestors are works of art representing years of knowledge of the passage of time and its mark making on materials' surfaces.
The Corrigan Gallery presents art with a future instilled with intellect. Varied, thoughtful, provoking works are presented in an intimate space for the viewing pleasure of all. Bringing 20 years of Charleston art experience to collectors and presenting artists with up to fifty years of creating as well as those in the early years of their careers, the gallery provides a fresh alternative to the traditional southern art scene. Located in the heart of the historic district, the gallery combines the charm of the old city of Charleston with a look to the future.
Paintings, drawings, fine art prints, photography and sculpture are readily available for the discriminating collector. Artists represented include Manning Williams, Candice Flewharty, Gordon Nicholson, Mary Walker, Gene Speer, Richard Hartnett, Kevin Bruce Parent, John Moore, JD Cummings, Kristi Ryba, Sue Simons Wallace, Daryl Knox, Lynne Riding, Lese Corrigan and Richard (Duke) Hagerty.
For further information check our SC Commercial
Gallery listings, call the gallery at 843/722-9868 or visit (www.corrigangallery.com).
Carolina Arts is published monthly by Shoestring Publishing Company, a subsidiary of PSMG, Inc. Copyright© 2008 by PSMG, Inc., which published Charleston Arts from July 1987 - Dec. 1994 and South Carolina Arts from Jan. 1995 - Dec. 1996. It also publishes Carolina Arts Online, Copyright© 2008 by PSMG, Inc. All rights reserved by PSMG, Inc. or by the authors of articles. Reproduction or use without written permission is strictly prohibited. Carolina Arts is available throughout North & South Carolina.