Daniel Malone

Playing tag

Daniel Malone’s signature appears as a neon ‘tag’ across the wall in My name in lights. The work combines the illegitimate practice of tagging – or leaving a graffiti signature on a wall – with the common usage of neon signage in advertising.

Malone is also commenting on the question of authorship and the construction of an artistic persona – in particular, that of New Zealand’s renowned conceptual artist Billy Apple. My name in lights makes specific reference to Apple’s work Neon signature (red), 1967, which has the name ‘Billy Apple’ constructed out of red neon lights.

This text was prepared for the Collecting Contemporary exhibition, 2011-2012.