• CARALI MCCALL - THE ENERGY OF A LINE

    CURATED ONLINE EXHIBITION

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    'Circle Drawing' is a series of large-scale artworks made with graphite on paper in front of a live audience drawing one continuous line using the shape of a circle, at her full arm's length until exhaustion and/or the graphite stick drops from the grasp of her hand; most performances endure 2hrs - 4hrs of constant drawing; each artwork becomes a battle between the action and the materials; each artwork is titled by its duration and pending on situations and conditions, and thresholds of endurance, some drawings have rips and some with blood.  
    The first performance was in 2004 at the University of Toronto while an undergraduate student; the most recent was at Royal West England Academy in 2025. This artwork was the foundation of her PhD research at Central Saint Martins UAL and co-author of Performance Drawing. 
    In this curated exhibition 13 artworks are now available including an exclusive new hand finished edition.
  • Listen as you explore.
    INFINITE, vinyl record, sample recordings of Circle Drawing (CLOSE) 16min, breath, cello and piano / digital files.
  • Work no. 1 Circle Drawing: 4 hours 15 minutes, 2019

    “The physical presence of an audience has become as informative as the material I feel in my hand. People create the notion of a witness to this battle between me and the paper.”
  • 'While setting out to complete a repetitive task without a pre-determined time, the question and decision of an end and...
     
    "While setting out to complete a repetitive task without a pre-determined time, the question and decision of an end and some element of completion is never clear. And this fascinates me."
    • Carali McCall, Work no.1 (Circle Drawing) 2hours 09minutes, 2023
      Carali McCall, Work no.1 (Circle Drawing) 2hours 09minutes, 2023
    • Carali McCall, Work no.1 (Circle Drawing) 1hour 09minutes, 2017
      Carali McCall, Work no.1 (Circle Drawing) 1hour 09minutes, 2017
    • Carali McCall, Work no.1 (Circle Drawing) 1hour 04minutes, 2024
      Carali McCall, Work no.1 (Circle Drawing) 1hour 04minutes, 2024
    • Carali McCall, Work no.1 (Circle Drawing) 2hours 03minutes, 2019
      Carali McCall, Work no.1 (Circle Drawing) 2hours 03minutes, 2019
  • Colours and Layers

    An addition to the series was made using 24k gold pigment and gouache to treat the surface of the paper before drawing.
    • Carali McCall, Work no. 1 (Circle Drawing) mid series Blue / Black, 1hr 53min, 2024
      Carali McCall, Work no. 1 (Circle Drawing) mid series Blue / Black, 1hr 53min, 2024
    • Carali McCall, Work no.1 (Circle Drawing) GOLD / RED, 2hours 24minutes, 2018
      Carali McCall, Work no.1 (Circle Drawing) GOLD / RED, 2hours 24minutes, 2018
    • Work no. 1 (Circle Drawing) mid series GREEN-BLACK / GOLD, 2023 SOLD

      Work no. 1 (Circle Drawing) mid series GREEN-BLACK / GOLD2023

       

       SOLD

    • Carali McCall, Circle Drawing: 10 Layers , 2019
      Carali McCall, Circle Drawing: 10 Layers , 2019
  • Line Drawing

    Line Drawings are a series of artworks made using graphite on paper, drawing lines back and forth, repeating the process, and pretreating the paper with gold pigment where the paper eventually rips.
    • Carali McCall, Work no. 2 (Line Drawing) 1hour 08minutes, 2019
      Carali McCall, Work no. 2 (Line Drawing) 1hour 08minutes, 2019
    • Carali McCall, Work no. 2 (Line Drawing) 1hour 15minutes, 2019
      Carali McCall, Work no. 2 (Line Drawing) 1hour 15minutes, 2019
  • New exclusive hand finished edition

    • Carali McCall, Work no. 1 Circle Drawing: 1 hour 35 minutes, 2025
      Carali McCall, Work no. 1 Circle Drawing: 1 hour 35 minutes, 2025
  • L / R CIRCLE DRAWING

    Made with the left hand on one side and drawing with the right hand on the other. After performing a live Circle Drawing performance, it became a studio-based practice, to draw smaller circles with both sides of the body; using powder pigment and gouache.
    • Carali McCall, Circle Drawing R / L , 2024
      Carali McCall, Circle Drawing R / L , 2024
  • Letter to Drawing, Rapa Nui / Lapland, 2024

    Letter to Drawing

    Rapa Nui / Lapland, 2024

    Dear Drawing,

     

    I wanted to drop you a line before the edges of summer ebb away, and the winter arrives with its blankets and shades of snow.

     

    Since we last met, I’ve been in the studio questioning where to go from here; ‘the line’ has been stretched and pulled, and it has been a good challenge trying to find that feeling of something sharpening and the core of an idea that leans into an alchemic and cosmic source of something new.

     

    I read, I write, I draw, and I meditate. Focused on finding ease and a solution of where to go from here.

     

    The summer was full of love and loss. I buried some old fears and found some exhausting and relentless new ones. Days of deadlines and chasing to see the sun, and then the moon, and then making a mark can feel endless.

     

    It’s not for a vacancy of desire but hunting for that moment without a sense of self-doubt and need for reassurance. Finding some overarching comfort and love in the process is all I’ve been looking for.

     

    I hope I find it.

     

    Yours faithfully,
    Carali

  • First Circle Drawing

    University of Toronto, 2004

  • "The friction caused by the process of drawing tears the skin on my drawing hand. Blood seeps onto the paper and becomes a mark-making material. It mixes with the layers of metallic graphite and is also absorbed into the paper."
     
     

    For sales and further information, contact Richard Scarry.

     

    Richard@closeltd.com