Art / “Distant Friends”, by Peter McLean. At Megalo Print Studio, Kingston, until March 25. Reviewed by BARRINA SOUTH.

THE ongoing impact of the pandemic is far reaching.

In conversations, people are often heard saying, when trying to recall key moments, “I am not sure when that was, the early covid years are all a blur”.

The current exhibition on show at the Megalo Print Studio “Distant Friends” by Peter McLean is a response to the pandemic, and the impacts of the lockdowns and social distancing resulting in many of us connecting with each other using digital devices and apps.

As you enter the Megalo Print Studio you will see on the walls a collection of intensely pixelated, distorted and, fair to say, blurred portraits. These portraits are based on the social media images of his friends between 2020 and 2022. For me, it was a natural reaction to focus on each one and try to identify the faces, to connect with the individuals featured in the art works, and this is the intention of the artist.

The unique technique of creating the pixelated portraits is achieved by McLean developing an innovative printing technique. He uses small, thin Lego tiles as a printing matrix, each colour separation is constructed from the tiles, inked and printed. After printing each portrait, the tiles need to be dismantled and reassembled to form the next portrait.

For me, I would have loved to have seen the baseplates or even a short video showing the technique in the exhibition. This would have also allowed the gallery visitor, with little to no knowledge of the printing process, to gain an understanding and an appreciation of the process involved in creating the 22 artworks on show.

McLean is a printmaker who is interested in experimenting and inventing new approaches to printmaking. I am eager to see where he might venture next and look forward to his next show.