Stephen McCarthy – Double Cross

Stephen McCarthyMelbourne’s newest home of art, Sagra Gallery will exhibit Double Cross – a selection of thought-provoking, mixed media constructions by artist, Stephen McCarthy in its uniquely accessible and warmly inviting cultural hub.

Double Cross is the first solo show at Sagra Gallery and it will showcase McCarthy’s aesthetically dynamic and immaculately crafted works that use both linear and colour symbolism to reflect the humanistic and political concerns at the heart of his art.

McCarthy’s interest in symbology and its various cultural interpretations find pictorial form through the arrangement of horizontal, vertical and diagonal lines, as well as half and full circles.

“Although his art over the decades has undergone great variations, its underlying message has remained constant” says Gerri Williams, Sagra Gallery CEO & Curator.

Created from marine ply and meticulously layered with polymer acrylic, McCarthy’s constructions are months and at times years in the making before his perfectionist nature is satisfied with the final result.

Born in Melbourne in 1954, McCarthy is the nephew of renowned Australian artist, Ken Whisson and the great- nephew of Stella Dilger, whose work is held by the National Gallery of Australia. McCarthy’s lifelong influences have been the five M’s: Malevich, Mondrian, Mack and the Marx Brothers – Karl and Groucho. He was a founding member of the independent art collective, ROAR Studios.

A well-known figure in the Melbourne art scene, McCarthy established his international credentials having worked for two decades in Amsterdam. His work has been collected by major public institutions including the National Gallery of Australia, the National Gallery of Victoria and the Museum of Modern Art at Heide. He is also represented in numerous private collections in Australia, Europe and the United States.

Stephen McCarthy – Double Cross
Sagra Gallery, 256 – 258 Glenferrie Road, Malvern
Exhibition: 19 March – 26 April 2015

For more information, visit: www.sagra.com.au for details.

Image: Stephen McCarthy, Collective Growth (left) and Red Wedges (right), 2013