View of Motivation

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Series of paintings exhibited at Nau Gallery in Stockholm in 2014 and at Hverfisgallerí, Reykjavík, Iceland in 2015.

Football as a social activity and a platform for communication is the subject of McMahon ́s series of paintings, View of Motivation. The game itself, the players and spectators become a metaphor for a much broader interpretation on such issues as gender identity, stereotyping and sexuality. In her work McMahon uses actual photographs of players in action on the football field, analyzing their physical expression and interactions with each other. By transferring actual moments on the field into a neutral setting the artist creates a highly ambiguous context. Through this shift McMahon utterly transforms the impression we have of football players as well as changing the role of the spectator.

In McMahon’s work the imagery of art and the world of soccer meet and the resulting dynamic is a radical alternative and unexpected take on the gender equality debate. Simultaneously, McMahon seeks to draw attention to sociological discussion about gender, gender identity and sexuality and in so doing throw new light on sensitive human emotions and motives.