Private Matter

Meanwhile is delighted to present Private Matter, an exhibition by Marcus Jackson.

June 12 - June 29 2019
Opening 5:30, Wednesday 12 June

“I came out to my parents on the way to the airport, viciously hungover, the night after a big family celebration. I did so in the early summer of 2014, almost 8 months after telling my friends. I had promised myself that I would do so at some point over the weekend, knowing that I would be leaving to return to Wellington. In actuality, it was a lot harder than I thought it would be, to tell them, and it happened at the last possible moment. The entire weekend, I had felt the weight of anticipation. Objects seemed to vibrate with tension, or judgement. I was worried that they already knew, or that I was acting off; obvious. The entire weekend had been heavy, physically; the way humid air drags the body down.”

Private Matter deals with the public/private dilemma—“do they know yet?”, the mounting tension and emotional volatility behind expectation. In re-staging the surroundings of that weekend, the installation brings into question ideas around storytelling, and how we remember and go on to present our stories—personal truths—after the fact.

Items common to family events, such as the white resin chair, are imbued with projected uncertainty, referential of the ‘other’; the person to avoid, or be required to convince. These items were present at every family event before, and remain to be present at every event since. For Private Matter, Jackson attempts to re-stage this familiar scene. During the course of the show, white resin chairs, artificial lawn, and balloons—ubiquitous objects associated with domestic celebrations—are augmented with prepared motors, setting free a nervous collective within the gallery space.