Neil McClure, Pool Party Number 2, 2022. Acrylic on plywood, 61 x 61cm.Courtesy: the artist
FELIXE LAING
Curator, Sanderson Contemporary Art, Auckland
Planes glide, evenly spaced across the sky of Pool Party Number 2, in a way which alludes to the ordered nature of the corporate scene which plays out below. Male figures in matching suits hold each other’s gaze while clasping fags and wine glasses; there is no real time for play, this is business. The pool remains empty. McClure in his signature cartoon-like style outlines in red, a capitalist social scene.
AMBER CRESWELL BELL
Creative Director, Michael Reid Northern Beaches, Sydney
The artist makes a strong statement here by the apposition of a genteel, wine-sipping pool party against the somewhat ominous appearance of planes above. What I particularly love is McClure’s mark-making and his manner of drawing with paint, and the layered effect he has achieved with these marks. I’m particularly drawn to the subtle embellishments, like the line of the collars, and the pocket detailing.
JOHN STAFFORD
Director, Onespace Gallery, Brisbane
Neil McClure’s Pool Party Number 2 with its gestural drawing style wastes no time in setting up a curiously incongruous pool party where no one is actually swimming, and the collective forward-facing male figures are content to loiter poolside with refreshments and cigarettes in hand. The cramped and flattened composition suggest out-of-towners potentially up to no good, enhancing the intrigue of this work.