Stepping into Michael MacGarry’s “The System Absorbs All Opposition” for the first time, the feeling is exactly that – complete absorption. Everywhere you look, something you don’t quite recognise. The overwhelming sensation is subdued as seemingly unidentifiable sculptural works begin to come into focus; guns, skulls, nunchucks, zinc and steel scatter the gallery floor accompanied by large-scale wall works of stitched recycled paper and suddenly you come to realise, the chaos is completely intentional, it always has been. In fact, every detail, from the design to the flow of the exhibition has been painstakingly thought out by MacGarry.

His meticulously crafted diagrams of the exhibition space reveal how he has clearly carefully examined the way he wants particular artworks to interact in specific rooms, or conversely, remain entirely independent of themselves. But with MacGarry being a designer by profession, this obsessive attention to detail is not surprising. Describing the way he creates an image on a computer, plots it on paper, and then hand-stitches multiple layers of other paper onto the ‘canvas’, the artist agrees, “There is absolutely no question of chance in how they’re made”.

With a collection of work that can definitely feel overwhelming for a viewer, this conviction by the artist steadies the exhibition in a very necessary way. With the show essentially divided between these two-dimensional large-scale paper works and sculptural pieces, the wall-based pieces also give a much needed sense of grounding. For example, MacGarry’s use of harsh, cold and mechanical imagery throughout the show like decommissioned guns in Adversarial Interop and 1985, or the seemingly unemotional, almost robot-like structures such as Hegelian Dialectic and Large Language Model are balanced by the warmth and intentionality of the paper works. “They’re all collectively part of the Tontine series, which is named for what was essentially a Dutch pyramid scheme in the 17th century.” says MacGarry, alluding to their roles as the sort of thematic “glue” for the exhibition, with one pretty much in every room.

However, it becomes obvious the more time spent within the space that at first what might seem as two divided bodies of work – namely paper and sculpture – are actually in a constant flux of conversation with one another, you just need to listen extra closely to hear what it’s saying. Take Vassal Class, a piece the artist made by meticulously attaching pieces of reclaimed packaging paper and gold foil onto his work, when viewed in conjunction with a sculptural piece, namely, a decommissioned gun, such as National Democratic Revolution IV, the humorous yet biting socio-economic commentary typical of MacGarry’s work is revealed. A critique of the current system we have found ourselves forced to obey, the exhibition collectively speaks to the paralysing power of futility in the resistance much of the country – and the world – has tried and continually failed to enact on our untouchable, domineering capitalist system.

However, MacGarry is not pretentious enough to pretend he knows a solution, a way to change the system, and is in fact loath to be cornered into specifying exact meanings into defined themes. He’ll do, as he calls it, “a ranty abstraction on capitalism” along with the opening of the show but is actually far more interested in the audience’s independent interpretations. Well, here’s mine. It is ironic that an art exhibition by a renowned, ultra-successful artist like MacGarry would be the very thing to trigger the anger and disappointment I feel with being an early-career Creative in the current capitalist system. Although I am acutely aware these are not particularly unique thoughts or feelings to have, especially in this industry, there is also no denying that things have become distinctly more impossible in recent years. As professor and social worker Brene Brown says, “We are not socially, biologically, cognitively and spiritually wired for some of the shit going down right now, probably most of it”. And yes, with a macro lens things like war, genocide, climate change and capitalism have always existed, and as individuals have always bared the brunt to differing extents. 

But now, even on a micro level, the hyper-capitalist system is robbing creatives (and just about everyone, honestly) of what little lives may exist outside of their work. It’s also not new that many artists/creatives have to work a second job in order to supplement their income, it’s usually part-time, and it’s usually something that doesn’t require much investment like waitressing, bartending etc. But now? That simply won’t cut it anymore. In whatever form it might take, be it internships, freelance, assistants, retainers, part-time etc. most emerging creatives in any space are working up to three jobs within the industry they are trying to make a career out of, while still trying to find the time and energy to fulfill their own projects. Young creatives are being exploited to the point where if we don’t work ourselves ragged to the point of burnout and emotional breakdowns every week, yet are still unable to afford anything else besides rent and groceries every month, “we just don’t want it bad enough”. You see, absorbing all opposition is also to absolve yourself of all criticism.

And so we beat on, day after day, killing ourselves just to keep our heads above water for the next month. Telling ourselves soon it will all be worth it, the break is coming. But with each week our bodies grow wearier, our creative minds quiet as we use up every last drop of energy trying to game an unbeatable system designed to ensure we always lose. Echoing these sentiments, The System Absorbs All Opposition offers one clear solution, one I can’t believe I didn’t recognise sooner: there is no solution within the current system. Especially as creatives, we can no longer pretend we can exist (nevermind succeed) or even resist within the belly of the beast we wish to slay. If The System Absorbs All Opposition, we must instead collectively opt-in to a new system entirely.

The System Absorbs All Opposition is currently on show at Johannesburg’s Everard Read Gallery until 15 June 2024.