Exploring Control, Chaos, and the Constructed World
An interview with Mark Whalen
1- Let’s start with your day-to-day—what does a typical day in the studio look like for you? I’m an early riser—I usually wake up around 6 a.m. First thing, I feed my dog and spend a bit of quiet time in the morning with my wife, drinking coffee and easing into the day.
The rest of the day revolves around designing and running the studio. I’m usually deep in concepts—whether it’s for exhibitions, commissions, or public projects. I bounce around from idea to idea while also managing the fabrication process for my works in the studio. It’s a mix of thinking, making, and problem-solving all day long.
2- Your work often feels both highly controlled and intuitively composed. How do you approach that balance? My approach to materials and fabrication is highly controlled—I like working with high-quality finishes and materials to bring each piece to its final form. But the process of drawing and designing is much more playful. I rely heavily on intuition, letting my ideas evolve and seeing where they take me each time.
3- What materials or tools have become indispensable in your current practice? I make almost everything in my studio, so my essential tools include a spray booth for all the coloring work, 3D printers, welders, drill presses, and concrete mixers—basically everything that goes hand in hand with creating metal sculptures. The list is long!
4- Do you usually begin with a fixed concept, or does the work evolve organically as you create? It’s a fixed concept—I spend a lot of time drawing and developing the ideas behind each sculpture. There’s a lot of testing and experimentation that happens before I begin creating the final piece.
5- When do you know a piece is finished—or do you ever? There are often small tweaks along the way to reach a finished piece, but ultimately, it comes down to the feeling the sculpture evokes. When I reach that point—when it truly feels like it works—then it’s done.
6- Your work often examines systems of control, behavior, and structure. What draws you to those ideas? I like to observe life in general, and I always find those observations making their way into my work. It’s more about observing society, people, interactions, and things that are happening in real time. I often base my sculptures on interpretations of everyday occurrences.
7- There’s a recurring sense of satire and restraint in your figures and compositions. Are you making a commentary, or simply observing? I wouldn’t say my work is about making commentary—it’s more about observing. The way I create is by paying close attention to people and events happening around me in the present moment. I use those observations to shape my sculptures and try to evoke a feeling through them.
8- Do you see your work as a reaction to contemporary culture, or more as an abstracted version of your internal world? I think it’s a bit of both—intentional and intuitive. I often feel like a sponge, constantly absorbing the things I see in the world: people, interesting objects, colors, materials, human interactions. What comes out in my work is almost a distilled or abstracted version of those observations—filtered through my own playful outlook on the world around me.
9-You’re originally from Australia but have lived in Los Angeles for years. How have those two places shaped your perspective and your work? I think the difference between being an artist in Australia and in the U.S. comes down to the art scenes—it’s more of a local Australian art scene versus an international one in L.A. There are so many great artists doing incredible work in Australia, but in the U.S., you’re exposed to so much more. It’s nice to be in the hub here and feel connected to a broader creative network.
10- Your style has evolved significantly over the years—from illustrative narratives to more sculptural, spatial forms. What prompted that evolution? I got really burnt out on painting. I used to create highly detailed, illustrative works, and over time it just wore me down. I had always been a big admirer of sculpture, so eventually, I decided to take the plunge and fully shift my focus.
11- You work across painting, sculpture, ceramics, and installation. How do you decide which medium a concept demands? I’ve primarily been working in sculpture for many years now. That’s the main focus in my practice, but I have been exploring painting again.
12- How important is color in your storytelling? Do you use it intuitively, or with symbolic intent? I think color is really important—everything needs to tell a story, right? No matter the approach, most things come with a built-in narrative, whether it’s more obvious or elusive. I like to use color to set the mood in a piece and to explore different emotions and feelings. Whether it’s applied color—like paint—or the inherent color of raw materials like stone, glass, or bronze, I aim to let those materials play an active role in the overall palette. I want the materials and colors to work together to help guide the narrative in each work.
13- Is there a particular work that was especially difficult to resolve—either technically or emotionally? The work can be technically challenging to make—especially when combining multiple materials in a single piece. But that’s also part of the fun. I enjoy pushing myself and figuring out how to bring all the elements together.
14- What do you hope a viewer takes away from your work? Are you trying to guide interpretation or leave things open? I like to explore different narratives with each piece, but no matter what I’m investigating personally, my goal is to leave space for others to bring their own feelings and interpretations. I want the sculptures to invite people to create their own narratives and form their own relationships with the work.
15- Are there any themes or mediums you’re excited to explore next? I’ve been really into working with stone and glass recently and bringing those materials into the works.
16- What upcoming projects or exhibitions are you working on? I have a solo show on November 15th in Istanbul at Sevil Dolmaci Gallery.
17- If you weren’t making art, what else might you be doing? Playing tennis.
18- Finally, how would someone find you on social media? @mark__whalen
Interview by Jimon