David Wallage

Matter

February 7th – March 1st, 2025

Peer out of an airplane at 30,000 feet over the Pacific Ocean and project the overlay of meridian, latitudinal and longitudinal, lines onto the incalculable body of water below.  This is reminiscent of David Wallage’s recent body of work, ‘Matter’. There are no definable objects being depicted here, or illusory spaces, rather the recordings of lines on a surface. Wallage  sets himself a series of tasks; manipulating plaster, paint, jute, and a variety of other materials, tempting viewers to discern a ‘meaning’ – possible architectural plans, circuit diagrams or maps, and yet he actually retains his own dialect with little explanation provided. The sketches are akin to a set of assigned problems. What will happen if I mix up these materials, what then will the result be ? Given this size limitation, what marks can be made? If I limit myself to only this scoring tool, what is the conclusion?  Bridget Riley said, ‘There was a time when meanings were focused and reality could be fixed; when that sort of belief disappeared, things became uncertain and open to interpretation’. David Wallage would not be disappointed if you found his work pointing you in a variety of directions, but don’t ask how he got there. The recipe for his formulas, he is quick to share, is only a means to trying to touch the ineffable.