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MKTICKS
BIOPHILIA: THE NEED TO BE CLOSE TO NATURE
5–26 MARCH 2022
GALLERY 2
A digital colour photograph showing the corner of a garden at sunrise. Tall weeds approximately 500mm high cover the entire ground area that is dotted with various random objects poking through; an old brown chimney flue, the structure of an old green swing set upon which rests a long white PVC pipe, and a black plastic chair half hidden behind the weeds. The weeds are dewy and predominantly green, suggesting it is wintertime. The colours of the weeds range from dark browny purples to green and mauve, and are in full bloom with lots of seed heads. Fluffy green fennel leaves occupy the foreground. A timber overhead structure partially enters the scene to the left, that is attached to a smaller DIY wire and metal post. Two mature fig trees that are starting to bud sit in front of a boundary corner, in front of where a bore-stained fibro fence and dark Colorbond fence meet at a corner. The tops of trees are visible in the background beyond the fence line.
mkticks, ‘weeds in the garden’, 2021. Digital colour photograph.

Every garden requires a water bowl.

A small offering to nature in the form of a water bowl is a physical acknowledgement that the land that was here long before us and gestures towards sharing the space with other creatures. Construction of the bowls provides accommodation not only for birds but also for bugs, frogs, lizards, etc. The untraditional forms (rough, crevassed, low and organic in shape) seek to attract and welcome other creatures to find solace and relief in the water bowl.

Viewed alongside the sculptures, the drawings are abstract, still life images of them. Through colour and line, the drawings aim to reflect both the process and outcome of the construction experience, and to capture the essence of their main ingredient: the common garden weed.

By utilising the unwanted common garden weed for a useful, desirable outcome, the exhibition aims to challenge preconceived ideas of value and reuse. The aim of this body of work is to act as a gentle reminder to humans to respect and listen to nature, encouraging maintenance and growth of landscape on an individual scale and within a personal garden setting.

mkticks is an emerging maker born and currently working in Boorloo/Perth. Not committed to any one medium, mkticks can be found experimenting with lead pencils, scratching and etching, and collaging amongst other things. They are most commonly inspired by nature, colour and texture; and themes surrounding memory, imagination, emotion and abstraction. Symbolism and the essence of a feeling are overall motivators for their practice. mkticks has exhibited in spaces such as Pig Melon (Boorloo/Perth, WA), Gallery 251 (Ballardong/York, WA), and Smart Casual (Walyalup/Fremantle, WA). They hope to expand and show across borders in the near future.