Mark McCullough: Actuations

About

Roman Road Project Space is delighted to host Actuations, the first solo show in London by Irish artist Mark McCullough. The exhibition presents a large concrete sculpture, which is accompanied by framed montages; the source material for this monolith-like structure. 6à—4 prints feature in a pedestal piece and a number of smaller wall-mounted pieces are on display, reflecting the artist's organic working process and devotion to taking pictures. In addition, there is a short video and several large recent photographic prints. While varied, the work on show collectively forms ‘actuations'; an on-going body of work at its current end-point. In the photographic industry, the term actuations refers to the number of shutter releases performed by a camera. As the title of the show, it attempts to go some way in highlighting the importance of taking pictures and collecting images in McCullough's work. The camera is used as a means of understanding and mediating his surroundings. Printing images has become an essential form of editing and the resultant 6à—4 image is now an integral part of the artist's practice. Actuations reflects a method of working; a process whereby the photograph functions as image, source material and subject-matter. Looking to further bridge the gap between the photographic and sculptural elements of Mark McCullough's practice, this exhibition examines their interdependence and attempts to create a situation whereby a coherent communication between object and image can be experienced. Designed to occupy the centre of Roman Road Project Space, Surface Mass, is an abstract sculpture, a physical representation of a fictitious space, which was previously created by means of photo-montages. These arrangements called Untitled (Source Research) are on display next to the sculpture. Untitled (Surface Studies) consists of a video and a series of photographs, each enclosed in minimalist glass frames on a wooden wall-mounted support. These works present different aspects of a process that seeks to expose, enhance and exaggerate the flattening qualities inherent in photography. Individually and together, they investigate and act as research, helping to develop a visual language necessary for starting larger more in-depth sculptural projects. About the Artist Mark McCullough (b.1981) is an Irish artist working with photography and sculpture. While his work looks to create forms with a physical quality, he retains a playfulness regarding the notions of illusions of depth and space that characterises not only photography, but many traditional art forms, which are based on a flat support. Central to the artist's practice is the use of 6à—4 photographs. This ubiquitous size of print functions firstly as a photograph and thereafter as source material and content for sculptural experiments.