Exhibition: January 27 – February 5, 2022
Opening Reception: Thursday, January 27, 2022 from 6pm – 9pm
Exhibition Hours: Everyday from 1pm – 6pm
“Artifacts of an Alternate Dream” The solo exhibition of Matthew H. James at One Art Space 23 Warren St. NYC, opens 6-9 pm on January 27, 2022.
Matthew H. James’ work blurs the line between sculpture and painting. The energy of his method is palpable through eye catching colors and sweeping gestures. He works intuitively, drawing upon a wealth of material knowledge to transform an emotional process into art that is both immediate and progressive.
The transmutation of the object is the focal point of his latest work. Incorporating artwork made over 20 years, he deconstructs and reforms a curated selection from his past. “Change is a fundamental part of my art. I am interested in what it means for an object to embody a moment. I work from my gut striving to reflect an unspoken element of being in the piece, but what I have found is that time itself has as much effect on the object’s aesthetic as my hand.” The reconstituted structures confront ideas about permanence and change. Fading patinas and crystalline fractals envelope dream like structures connecting the familiar and the alien. Layers of material interact on a molecular level in a chemical reaction that alters the form and composition of the art. The meaning also changes as the elements are consumed by the process and re-contextualized. The hand of the artist is therefore only visible beneath a veneer of continuous change.
Matthew H. James, (born 1981 Honolulu, Hawai’i) received his BFA from Pratt Institute. He was awarded a residency at Vermont Studio Center in 2006. James has held solo exhibitions at The Radhus, Reykjavik City Hall, Iceland, The Onyx NYC, Solomon Arts Gallery NYC, Ayala Museum, Manila Philippines, Saks Fifth Avenue, HI, and shown with The Others Art Fair in Turin Italy and Art Takes Manhattan.
