Eric N. Mack: All the Oohs, and the Aahs

An investigation into abstraction and the ways painting can offer fertile ground for experimentation converge in Eric N. Mack’s work. He collapses distinctions between art forms and materials—between textiles and painting, sculpture and fashion—to create a unique visual vocabulary. He explores fabric’s ability to evoke emotional responses, something that he emphasizes in the titles of his works and the title of this exhibition, All the Oohs, and the Aahs, which acknowledges the spectator’s gaze.

Mack explores the surface of his works through his use of different textiles, such as cotton, silk, and wool, which he combines with ladders, flagpoles, and rods to create works that resist categorization. Together with the compositions, the material qualities of the various textiles convey sensations of weight, depth, color, and movement. While traditional painting is confined to a flat surface, Mack utilizes fabric’s pliability and texture to create immersive, layered constructions that invite visitors to explore the physical presence of objects. These fabrics come from Mack’s archival fabric collection, gathered from different places around the world. Whether mass-produced or bespoke designer textiles, each piece is rich with meaning and becomes an archive of historical, cultural, and personal narratives.

As you move through the installations, you will experience the way that the draped textiles engage a sense of scale, making viewers aware of their bodies in relationship to architectural features of the gallery and the building.

Unique to this presentation is Mack’s new Wex-commissioned installation, A Whole New Thing, which will be on view in the lobby from early August 2025. This site-responsive work will activate the lobby, staircase, and café areas, furthering the artist’s engagement with the architecture of these public spaces. The commission will remain on view until May 24, 2026.