Biography

Playing with the performative components of architectonic construction, Ian McMahon creates monumental action based works that imbed themselves in place. Scale and physicality are suspended between art and architecture; inviting experiential memory and material discovery to evoke a haptic response. Although driven by a material obsession, he challenges the assumptions of preservation by presenting an experience as object. Both the construction and deconstruction of a work reveal the extreme physical limits of maker and material. McMahon lives and works in Newburgh, NY. He is the recipient of a Jacob K. Javits Fellowship, NYFA Artist Fellowship, and Virginia Groot Fellowship. He received his MFA from Virginia Commonwealth University and BFA from Alfred University. Exhibitions include: Crane Arts, Philadelphia, PA; Pierogi: Boiler Room Brooklyn; Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts Omaha, NE; Suyama Space, Seattle WA; DeCordova Museum Lincoln, MA.; and Tang Contemporary, Beijing, China.