Martin Maloney
Biography
(British, b. 1961)
It would be easy to interpret the work of Martin Maloney as simplistic observations of the world. In fact, there is nothing simple about them. His wild gestural brushstrokes, bold use of colour, and semi-abstract figures, are not incidental to his art. Indeed, they are intentional techniques employed by the artist to comment on his own social observations of urban life, whilst at the same time making surprising references to art historical conventions.
Martin Maloney was born in London in 1961. Having initially graduated with a degree in English from Sussex University in 1983, Maloney went back to University to study Art at Central Saint Martins, followed by Goldsmiths College in 1991. Having embarked on his artistic career slightly later than some, Maloney combined his painting practice with art journalism for magazines such as Artforum and Flash Art. His strong interest in art history, theory and criticism, and his own social observations of the world ultimately shaped much of his artistic practice.
Maloney is known for painting urban and suburban landscapes in quick gestural strokes often created spontaneously in situ or from memory. The lack of detailed studies and use of heavy, often crudely formed figuresis Maloney’s way of expressing the chaotic nature of the urban landscape and society. He has also described his painting style as a kind of contemporary adaptation of more traditional genre-painting. Maloney frequently references historical influences in his work, often going as far as borrowing both subject and composition - such as in ‘Rave (After Poussin’s Triumph of Pan)’ - transforming the original’s feast of flesh, bodies, and sexual euphoria, into a more humorous interpretation of a modern-day nightclub, painted with an intentionally casual style that makes the whole scene appear somewhat absurd.
Maloney's bold visuals and crude child-like technique may give off the appearance of innocence, but in fact disguise his clever and subtle comments on society. His unique style of painting was a refreshing change to a lot of the conceptual ’YBA’ art that had dominated much of the 1980s and early 1990s, and his works quickly caught the attention of the artworld including significant collectors of contemporary art such as Charles Saatchi. As early as 1997 Maloney was being recognised alongside a new generation of ‘Brit Art’ in the Royal Academy’s infamous ‘Sensation’ exhibition - an exhibition of contemporary art owned by Saatchi, which included artworks by Damien Hirst, The Chapman Brothers, and Tracey Emin. Exhibiting with some of Britain’s most collectable contemporary artists, Maloney firmly established himself as one of the leading figures of ‘Brit Art’ of the time.
In 2001, Eyestorm released an exclusive edition of Martin Maloney’s work titled ‘Love Bug’. Consistent with his now well-recognised style of painting, ‘Love Bug’ takes a familiar urban scene, perhaps interpreted as a row of cars stuck at a busy junction or traffic light, and through his usual light-hearted observation and quick sketchy painting, is able to create an entire scene that plays out in front of us with both humour and irony. Figures canoodling in a back seat, grumpy children with a fed-up mother driving, and a couple kissing at the wheel while a smirky figure sits behind them, are all represented through Maloney’s simplified, semi-abstract style of painting. The red, yellow and green of the cars perhaps reference the colours of a traffic light, and are typical of Maloney’s use of a simple but bold colour palette. The cars themselves are squashed together emphasising the chaos of the situation and the busy urban environment. As always, Maloney sets up a story for the viewer, and like a soap-opera unfolding before us, we are allowed to take hold of his story and fill in as much or as little as we dare to.
Following his success in the Saatchi ‘Sensations’ exhibition at the Royal Academy, Martin Maloney has exhibited extensively on an international scale including in Berlin, Tel Aviv, New York, Seoul, and Amsterdam. Notably, he was selected for the John Moores painting prize in 2002, and exhibited in prestigious institutions such as in ‘New Neurotic Realism’ at the Saatchi Gallery, London, as well as in ‘Family Fortunes’ at the National Gallery, London.