The Many Masks of David Noonan at Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery

Identities, histories, and ambiguous narratives converge in the works of Australian-born, London-based artist David Noonan.

His solo exhibition with Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, MASKEN (21 July–19 August 2023) recently arrived from Mackintosh Lane in London, where it was on view from 17 June to 18 July.

In his work, Noonan renders scores of faces in a monochromatic palette using liquid pigment on hand-dyed fabric. He uses visual archives for inspiration, drawing features from iconic faces such as French pantomime character Pierrot and David Bowie to create captivating portraits.

In Cosima (2023), for example, tiny pools of pigment scatter around the defining features of a timeless face with a ghostly gaze. Abstracted details emerge from the smatterings and scraping of liquid, such as bird wings within the eyes and swelling cells composing the hair.

The exhibition includes a cast of faces, each one as haunting and ambiguous as the next, that explore fictitious identities and different states of being.

Noonan's work has featured in exhibitions at institutions including the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and Tate Modern in London.

Main image: David Noonan, Pallas (2023) (detail). Liquid pigment on hand-dyed fabric, aluminium frame. 57.5 x 42 x 4 cm. Courtesy Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, Sydney.