Mary Mattingly - Pipelines and Permafrost
A Controlled Burn, 2020, Chromogenic dye coupler print, 60 x 18 inches, © Mary Mattingly, Courtesy Robert Mann Gallery
Remediating El Cerrejon, 2020 Chromogenic dye coupler print, 52 x 14 inches © Mary Mattingly, Courtesy Robert Mann Gallery
The Gualcarque River, 2020 Chromogenic dye coupler print, 72 x 18 inches, © Mary Mattingly, Courtesy Robert Mann Gallery
By Sara Beck
In her most recent exhibition at Robert Mann Gallery, entitled Pipelines and Permafrost, Mary Mattingly’s landscapes served as poignant reminders of the harsh effects of climate change. In staging the show, Mattingly took inspiration from core samples of earth for the grand dimensions and orientation of her images, each hung on the wall like a massive scroll, the tallest of them standing at over six feet.. With a closer look, it is evident that each column consists of various landscapes merged into a single picture’ elongated and exaggerated to resemble earth’s strata and provide a visual representation of how nature has changed at the hands of humans.
Mattingly, as both a photographer and sculptor, focuses in Environmental Art. Her interest lies in pushing past the mere documentation of climate change, and she has employed collage to accomplish this with Pipelines and Permafrost,. Rather than literal representations, each mixture of images creates a single construction that transcends any one point in time. According to Mattingly, this element allows them to pay tribute to work done fighting climate change over many years.
Compared to past work, Pipelines and Permafrost might be seen as more understated and subtle. With this project, Mattingly utilizes a nearly seamless blend of realism and surrealism to elicit a response from viewers. The world she crafts in her landscapes is almost identical to the one we know, but with a few notable nuances.
Rematriation, 2020, Chromogenic dye coupler print, 72 x 18 inches, © Mary Mattingly, Courtesy Robert Mann Gallery
Retreat and Advance, 2020, Chromogenic dye coupler print, 82 x 24 inches © Mary Mattingly, Courtesy Robert Mann Gallery
Pipelines Crossing Permafrost, 2020, Chromogenic dye coupler print, 44 x 14 inches, © Mary Mattingly, Courtesy Robert Mann Gallery
For example, in “Rematriation,” a scene of a tree amidst a lush, green pasture is placed above a dull, barren mountain. The top image seems to feed into the lower one, or vice versa, offering up commentary on the journey the land has endured to get from one point to the other.
Perhaps most striking is that Mattingly’s landscapes do not feel defeated; there is no implication with them that it is too late to undo the damage they depict. Instead, they seem tranquil yet energized, as though the artist behind them is quietly yet urgently encouraging action.
The bottom portions of most images in the collection feature inverted landscapes, adding a surreal and otherworldly effect. For example, in “Rematriation,” a scene of a tree amidst a lush, green pasture is placed above a dull, barren mountain. The top image seems to feed into the lower one, or vice versa, offering up commentary on the journey the land has endured to get from one point to the other. More importantly, however, is the idea that a flow exists between the two landscapes, and its direction is changeable depending on how one chooses to view the image. With this, it feels as though Mattingly is highlighting the reversibility of current circumstances. Despite the images showcasing very real and destructive phenomena, Mattingly frames them within a mutable realm, inspiring a sense of self efficacy to create positive change in our environment.
Robert Mann Gallery
14 East 80th Street
New York, NY 10075
