Mishka Henner: Black Diamond, Carroll / Fletcher

Lately, everyone seems to be talking about the Mishka Henner show at Carroll | Fletcher on Eastcastle Street. It is easy to see why; the show hits upon so many themes that are particularly in vogue right now. Despite this, Henner’s work is distinctive and rich enough to eschew easy categorisation.

Henner might be called a “net artist”; making work that exploits and explores online materials. However, while much net art – such as that of Hito Steyerl or even Thomas Ruff – investigates the degradation that images undergo during compression and transmission, Henner offers us images of immense richness.

So rich, and so textured, are Henner’s aerial images of oil fields and factory-farms that, even from close up, it is hard to believe that they are photographic prints and not paintings. But in fact, the works that make up the bulk of the exhibition, which are reminiscent of abstract impressionist canvases, are satellite photos sourced from the internet.

The vast beef farms depicted in Henner’s Feedlots series are particularly striking. These landscapes, having been manipulated to produce the maximum possible yield of cattle, resemble huge circuit boards. The large-scale prints are accompanied by examples of Henner’s research documents, including many wonderful archive photos.

While all of Henner’s research takes place on the internet, he is clearly not engaged in mere idle web-surfing. The series Fifty-One US Military Outposts comprises aerial photos of overt and secret military installations. These images were obtained through rigorous research using data in the public domain, including news reports, veterans’ magazines and leaked government documents. 

Meanwhile, the problems of online security and surveillance are treated with a lighter touch in Henner’s series Scam Baiters, which documents Henner’s investigations into the world of email con-artists.

The exhibition is only on until 31 May, so be sure to catch it before then.