Insides: Michael Mahalchick, ARTSEEN
The BROOKLYN RAIL

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The BROOKLYN RAIL

ARTSEEN By Katie Stone

Published April 2004

CANADA

Michael Mahalchick

INSIDES

made from pieces of fabric that are wrapped around solids forms whose original identity is wholly obscured by the shiny smooth bands to create a pure geometric abstract form. The weaving in these pieces is seamless, without beginning or end, and its gloss and sheen invites the touch. Haptic desire is palpable throughout the show, and alludes to the human nature of the work. It also reflects a powerful transfer of meaning, for as Malachick reinvests time into the trash and junk that surrounds New York, he creates objects that speak beyond the meanings and associations of their own substantive parts.

The term chosen to describe Malachick’s material choice on the press release is worthy of note: sub-domestic handicraft. Traditionally female, low-art materials have been stylish for a number of years now, and it is not unusual to see stuffed animals, pipe-cleaners, or beadwork in the gallery. Culled from craft store supplies, these projects often take the chosen material to grotesque and farfetched proportions. For instance, currently in Chelsea, a monstrous, multicolor peacock inhabits RARE Gallery. Absurd in its proportions, the bird claims no purpose other than the flaunting of its own quite beautiful tail. And while tremendously charming, the object merits nothing more meaningful than a simple statement of repetitious labor on the part of its maker.

I diverge to illustrate how Malachick’s work differs. His craft, as it were, does not aim to elevate or transform the domestic world. Nor does it signal a dramatization ennui that is suggested by the traditional boredom associated with crafty-tasks. His work is sub-domestic because it is based on the scraps, the tossed-away, and the worn-out, but grand because it gives dignity and grace to forgotten, ignored forms.

Katie Stone