Closet Eccentric, by Matthew Knight (IR)
Closet Eccentric, een solo-expositie van Matthew Knight in GO Gallery (15 jaar).
GO Gallery is proud to present ‘Closet Eccentric’, a solo exhibition by Matthew Knight.
Opening: zaterdag 1 december, 17:00 uur, in aanwezigheid van de kunstenaar.
Watch this video
http://www.youtube.com/embed/FeRfbxxTtOg
Ruim 2 maanden heeft Matthew Knight (1980) vrijwel ononderbroken gewerkt aan zijn nieuwe collectie.
20 kunstwerken zijn geschilderd op canvassen, papier, hout, oude comics, en andere oude, mooie objecten.
Deze expositie laat het uiterst gedetailleerde werk van de kunstenaar zien, welke verweven met zijn verborgen flair voor alles wat gek is.
Knight, geboren in Cambridge, groeide tot zijn 13de op in Lahore, Pakistan en beleefde daarna zijn pijnlijke puberjaren in Belfast, Noord Ierland. Sinds 2012 woont en werkt hij in Londen.
Knight ziet er misschien niet als een kunstenaar (zijn eigen woorden), maar zijn schilderkunst laat zien welke excentriciteiten achter zijn “simpele” buitenkant verborgen liggen.
Hij gebruikt een mengelmoes van kleuren, stijlen, texturen, hedendaagse invloeden en onderwerpen waardoor hij die excentrieke ideeën in zijn kunstwerken kan laten zien . Hij heeft verschillende stijlen en onderwerpen verkend in zijn werk tot hij tot het besluit kwam dat zijn ware passie bij “character design” ligt.
Hierbij kan hij alle aspecten van zijn persoonlijkheid laten zien.
In zijn werk combineert Knight veelal donkere achtergronden met levendige karakters en vormen op de voorgrond.
Het gebruik van ongewoonlijke objecten en oppervlakten in zijn kunstwerken is geen toeval!
Jaren lang heeft Matthew gezocht naar dingen die hun glans verloren hadden en probeert deze
weggegooide dingen nieuw leven in te blazen door ze een nieuw identiteit te geven.
De Ierse Knight heeft meerdere tentoonstelling gehad in Belfast, Dublin, Melbourne, Londen en Amsterdam.
Verwacht de onverwachte waarheden van een kunstenaar die al zijn logica uit het raam gooit en als doel heeft, het creëren van visueel plezier voor alle toeschouwers!
[nggallery id=70]Opening on Saturday, December 1, from 5PM until 8PM.
Watch this video
http://www.youtube.com/embed/FeRfbxxTtOg
Expect the unexpected truths of an artist that has thrown any sense of logic out the window and set about creating visual pleasures that viewers can enjoy and get lost within.
The exhibition will showcase the painstakingly detailed eccentric thoughts of Knight and his hidden flare for all things crazy. Uninhibited by the restrictive logic of reality the all new works will examine what it is that goes on inside of us all. Having grown up in Eastern and Western backgrounds Knight aims to interweave the many influences this had on him growing up, His work not only embodies these contrasting cultures but does it in a way that any viewer can relate. Although Knight appears to be a quiet somewhat average individual in appearance, his talent for painting allows him to exhibit what eccentricities are hidden behind his plain exterior. His style of work can be considered as a mish mash of colours, styles, textures, contemporary influences and subject matter, which is what Knight aims for as it allows him to portray the idea of eccentricity in his work.
His unusual use of objects and different surfaces within his paintings has not come about by accident, after spending years as a collector of all things that have lost their shine he endeavours to put some life back into the old discarded items by giving them a new identity.
Knight has previously shown work in Belfast, Dublin, Melbourne, London and Amsterdam. During his few years as an artist He has explored many different styles and topics in his work to find his true passion lies with character design. Through this he is able to represent all aspects of his personalities. His work often combines dark backgrounds with vibrantly detailed characters and forms exhibiting the struggle between his upbeat, excitable nature with the reality of the everyday struggles of an artist trying to succeed.
Expect the unexpected truths of an artist that has thrown any sense of logic out the window and set about creating visual pleasures that viewers can enjoy and get lost within.
[nggallery id=70]
Artis Statement
Over the years I have met the oddest and most interesting characters, seen and experienced bizarre sights, been bombarded with many differing beliefs and ideals aimed at making sense of life. I, like everybody have monsters and demons in my own head, an inner turmoil that I have learned to explore creatively to make sense of it all. Combining ideas, experiences and images from the different cultures that have shaped my life I create characters on found surfaces gathered from places that have meaning to me. For me painting is a meditative process, turning negative thoughts into positive experiences. I have many cultural and artistic disciplines that have shaped my artistic aspirations; Islamic, Celtic, Aboriginal, Street art,Lowbrow art, Cinema, Comic art and so on. I use a range of mixed media, Collage and Acrylics mostly.
Biography
I was born in Cambridge (England) to English and Northern Irish parents, raised in Lahore (Pakistan) from the age of 4 until I was 13, travelled to Australia and experienced teenage growing pains in Belfast (Northern Ireland). Before studying fine at Worcester University, I lived and travelled all over Europe, working as a barman from Arhus to Barcelona.
I now live and work as a full time artist in Belfast, exhibiting in Amsterdam, Dublin and in London. As is the case for many people with Northern Irish roots, living with cultural ambiguity, tensions and travelling so much, has left me feeling more settled when somewhere foreign.
My work centres around exploring the cultural roots that have shaped my life. Pakistan was such an overwhelming experience for me: so much of it has stayed with me ever since, providing the frame that shapes my experience of new ideas and places. The country was such an odd mix of chaos, colour and beauty. Mosques, brightly decorated vehicles, kites everywhere, great food, the Himalayas, Islamic Art, Bollywood hand painted movie posters, forts, temples, monsoons, and days so hot your shoes would stick to pavements.
Moving back to Northern Ireland I found my world view did not easily adapt to ‘The Troubles’ or teen culture. The crash course my brother and I were given on the conflicts of Northern Ireland, on the flight home to Belfast, did not prepare me for armed patrols, barricades and rain. What was warm and sunny to everybody here was freezing to me. School sucked, as I was a foreign kid for 3 years and the other children made sure I knew how they felt.
I escaped school and graduated to foundation art college where I could be myself, discover Belfast with friends and begin to make sense of my new world; comic books instead of Asian crafts, murals instead of giant curvy Bollywood girls, no more dazzling coloured details, just grey skies and green fields blending every aspect of life.