Originally installed in an abandoned warehouse in Sydney’s Alexandria, Magee painted the detailed mural at the centre of the work before ceremoniously burning a life-sized wire sculpture filled with copies of The Daily Telegraph newspaper, filming the process to create a mesmeric video installation that will be exhibited as part of ‘PROTEST’, a group exhibition opening at M16 Art Space in Canberra on Thursday 26 March 2015. Arguably his most political work to date, artist, Fintan Magee said that ‘Man Bites Dog’ is a reaction to the mass media’s misrepresentation of certain incidents and groups in society, particularly the rise of Islamaphobia and the representation of certain ethnic groups in the light of recent ‘terrorist’ incidents. “Although ‘Man Bites Dog’ is a protest piece against the bias that exists amongst the broader Australian media landscape, I wanted to use the Rupurt Murdoch owned newspaper, The Daily Telegraph, as a core component of the artwork as I view this publication as emblematic of the issue,” said Mr Magee. “The artwork’s title ‘Man Bites Dog’ derives from an aphorism in journalism attributed to New York Sun Editor John B. Bogart: “When a dog bites a man that is not news, because it happens so often. But if a man bites a dog, that is news.” “The painted figure in this artwork not only relates to the journalistic saying ‘Man Bites Dog’ but it also symbolic of the master/lapdog relationship of the media mogul and the news consumer,” Magee added. ‘Man Bites Dog’ can be seen as part of ‘PROTEST’, a group show at M16 Art Space, Blaxland Cresent, Griffith, Canberra, ACT, 2603 from Thursday 26 March Shot/Cut – EdInFocus – www.vimeo.com/edinfocus Artist – Fintan Magee – www.fintanmagee.com Special Thanks for help from the Cutback Team, Rachel Bentley, Peter Mullins and Corey Donaldson Music: “Холод (Grammatik prod.)” by OBL!K (Google Play • AmazonMP3 • iTunes)
Fintan Magee ‘Man Bites Dog’
