NEW YORK, NY – De Buck Gallery is pleased to announce our first exhibition of the new year, Victor Matthews: The Vortex opening January 12th, 2012. This exhibition will mark the artist’s premiere at the gallery. The Vortex will feature several large-scale oil paintings and pastels all created within the last year.
Matthews’ colorful swirls of primary colors convey a trance-inducing motion, luring the viewer into their realm, but unlike the menacing hypnotist portrayed in movies, pendulum in hand, probing for dark secrets, Matthews unlocks childhood nostalgia, memories of circus tents and lollipops, dreams, and the subconscious thrill of, who knew, living. From even a quick meeting with the artist, his joie de vie is uniquely recognizable, and one can find this refreshing optimism evident in his work. Regarding the creation of this series Matthews has said, “I started to daydream about the first time my mother took me to Coney Island. It was the 4th of July and I saw a child with a large lollipop that resembled a twisted rainbow. It is as clear today as it was then.” Like childhood, and the circus for that matter, there are undertones of mystery and the unknown apparent in Matthews’ work, he states, “I always had dreams of tornados, the center that pulls, the power within, natural force.” The dialogue between these two seemingly opposing forces creates a dramatic tension that is The Vortex, a story Matthews tells through the language of color.
The saturated hues of the artist’s oil paintings, rotating feverishly atop the canvas, stand in contrast to the gentle nature of his pastels, which Matthews shapes by hand, less tools or artifice, creating an alternative juxtaposition within this exhibition. Matthews credits Brice Marden, an old friend and artistic hero, as inspiration for showing the works included in this exhibition. During a visit to Matthews' studio, Marden was drawn to the spontaneity of the work. Rather than meticulously creating faultless shapes, Matthews focuses on the organic process of inventing each one, a method that one could read as more pure and innocent, much like his childhood inspiration of time spent with his mother. Whatever this ‘vortex’ is that Matthews has created, it is, at least partially, the power, or “pull” of the act of creating art. Like hypnotism, the success of the work lies in the subject’s (viewer’s) receptivity to the power of suggestion.
Victor Matthews was born in Brooklyn in 1963 and currently lives and works in New York City. His work has been included in exhibitions worldwide including Galleria Sala 1, Rome; Sculpture Center, Long Island City; Museum Overholland, Amsterdam; Guggenheim, Venice; and the 48th Biennale de Venezia (1999.) His work is in the private collection of Brice Marden, Francesco Clemente, Salman Rushdie, Donald Baechler, Russel Simmons, Beth Rudin DeWoody, Ronald Perelman, Forest Whitaker, Patrice and Gisele Courtier, and Jay Z, amongst others.
For more information on the artist, please contact Kathryn Mc Sweeney at Kathryn@debuckgallery.com