"VHS Tape Collection, South Pole" detail left
"Northern Regional Library Facility" watercolor on paper 24" x 32" 2010
"Entymology Archive" watercolor and gouache on paper 48" x 36" 2010
"Book Stitching Machine" watercolor and gouache on paper 48" x 36" 2010
"Construct" acrylic on canvas 4' x 6' 2007
Matthew Troy Mullins is as much a journalist as he is an artist. He reports from the worlds of science and technology, with an artist's eye for mundane detail, to report back on environments and working spaces that most of us would otherwise never witness. His conscious decision not to depict the people who normally occupy these spaces allows us to view the scene as if we were those people. He is particularly fascinated with places that collect knowledge, that gather and store information, spaces that form a collective attic space/workshop for the human race. Being something of a science nerd myself, I find these images remarkably evocative. The flat lighting and the complete lack of intentionally aesthetic decor do not evoke the sort of soullessness that is seen in so much artistic interpretation of technology. Rather it reminds us that the tremendous knowledge and impact of the human species consists of a vast accumulation of simple tasks and bits of information in innumerable obscure places. It is, in its own peculiar way, quite wondrous.
Check out his website: matthewtroymullins.com
And congratulations to Mr. Mullins on having his work featured in the 91st issue of New American Paintings
No comments:
Post a Comment