Daniel Mullen

Daniel Mullen’s colourful paintings can be overwhelming with their ingeniously shifting perspectives and depth, and countless dimensions unfolding before your eyes. At EKWC he set out to transpose this spatial dynamic from paint to clay, and in the process, his entire approach to painting changed. He learned a 3D modelling programme to design CNC-milled moulds for a series of intricately layered porcelain objects. A play of light and shadow transforms the relatively flat pieces into transparent cubes, blocks and cylinders that seem to turn inside out as you see them from different angles. Delicate rainbow colours of pigments mixed with the porcelain enhance the series’ ethereal character. Mullen also made a set of larger objects that assume architectural properties, reminiscent of ancient theatres or temples. Following the residency, these 3D-designed structures reappeared in Mullens paintings. Working with clay has opened up his practice, just like he hoped it would.