This drawing was inspired by a “very dilapidated pamphlet that describes a tour of some caverns in Virginia”. McCarthy hopes that her reproduction feels as fictional as the pamphlet visuals, which allow one to wonder about the actual existence of such place, more similar to a Greek myth than reality.
The work is part of Time will darken paper, a series of work McCarthy made for the twenty first issue of ESOPUS Magazine published in Spring 2014. Through a series of painstaking drawings, the artist explored ideas of time and narratives that are embedded in archive and hand drawing. Aiming to investigate the idea of archival ‘truth’ in the context of fake news, Penny McCarthy created a picture essay replicating documents and images. “The method follows Walter Benjamin’s idea of a work composed entirely of quotations in which the elements may be moved and realigned to organise knowledge in pieces and scraps”, the artist explains. While the works may be constructed from a wide range of sources, taken together they give rise to a narrative.
Penny McCarthy, b.1960, Washington DC, works primarily with drawing and text. Her work is presented internationally in a variety of contexts: in museums and galleries, at conferences, and as live projects and publications. She is based in the UK.
Ink and pencil on paper
Unique
