Artwork

The practice of Los Angeles-based artist Dashiell Manley (b.1983) has been characterized by focused, repetitive, and often times labor-intensive techniques and processes. From the New York Times series, in which he transcribed and abstracted the front pages of the newspaper, to his Various sources (quiet satires), for which he reproduced, altered, and collaged political and topical cartoons, Manley’s early work emphasized systems of production as means of understanding and exploring the daily news. With his Elegy series, which he began developing in 2016, Manley began to shift away from analytical manifestations to more emotional and psychological expressions on the canvas, allowing himself to open up his gestures and movements. With this new approach, he established a singular technique—sculpting the oil paint with a palette knife—that resulted in colorful, highly-textured, abstract canvases, that at once inspires a sense of awe and meditative quietude.