Brooklyn Whelan rejects the whimsical, traditional boundaries of landscape painting. With a celestial eye, he transforms familiar meteorological phenomena into otherworldly visions. Unique cloudscapes and smokeshapes are a synthesis of his subconscious musings, and a conscious manipulation of form and colour.

 

Testament to the enduring impact the 1980s graffiti movement had on Whelan, his freehand application and abstractionist tendencies are a nod to his early exposure to Sydney’s street art movement. His predominant use of acrylic on canvas maintains this tactile connection to his earlier aerosol work.

 

Often characterised by pastel hues and bold pops of colour, it’s easy to see the influence of a life-long fascination with canonical science fiction works. In one corner, a glimpse of the vivid skies of Flash Gordon, the gaseous cloud-planets of Star Wars in another. The neon beams that split his clouds pay homage to the smoke-filled, dystopian, neon-drenched aesthetic of Blade Runner. Whelan’s visual language is an iconic blend of the organic shapes and hyper-saturated noir palette of the 80s; a mash-up of nostalgic and futuristic.

 

Drawing from his internal visions rather than direct observation, Whelan combines the earthly and the ethereal. The raw power of nature offers a momentary escape from the mundane, and a glimpse into the space beyond. Brooklyn Whelan’s imagination exists here, in the place between the shadow and the light.

 

Anthea Mentzalis

July, 2024