Tony Matelli
15 Nov - 20 Dec 2012
TONY MATELLI
15 November - 20 December 2012
Andréhn-Schiptjenko is proud to present Tony Matelli’s fifth solo show at the gallery. The opening takes place in the presence of the artist on Thursday 15th November between 5-8 pm. The exhibition runs through December 20. Tony Matelli is one of several artists who have become known for reinterpreting the tradition of hyperrealism in American sculpture. During recent years he has moved away from his earlier depictions of humans and animals towards examining signs of human presence. Arrangement is a beautifully composed bronze bouquet of white and pink lilies, flipped upside down. The bouquet rests on a single petal. While the gravity is miraculously absent this majestic flower becomes a symbolic gesture through its own implausible presentation. In the paintings on mirror and Window Sculptures, Matelli investigates transparency and opacity. The mirror paintings appear to be simple graffiti when it is in fact a thorough process of layering of urethane and acid on a mirrored ground. The windows are copies of cheap and mass-produced windows, created in laser-cut steel and cast bronze. The glass is replaced by opaque metal and the window, through the History of Art a symbol for an opening to new worlds; here becomes a barrier to a view. Tony Matelli (b. 1971) lives and works in Brooklyn. His work is currently shown in a major mid-career retrospective; Tony Matelli: A Human Echo at ARoS, Aarhus Kunstmuseum. The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue and runs through December 30, 2012.
The show will subsequently travel to Bergen Kunstmuseum, February 22 – Mars 28, 2013. For more information and images, please contact the gallery. Next show: Peter Hagdahl, January 10 – February 10, 2013
15 November - 20 December 2012
Andréhn-Schiptjenko is proud to present Tony Matelli’s fifth solo show at the gallery. The opening takes place in the presence of the artist on Thursday 15th November between 5-8 pm. The exhibition runs through December 20. Tony Matelli is one of several artists who have become known for reinterpreting the tradition of hyperrealism in American sculpture. During recent years he has moved away from his earlier depictions of humans and animals towards examining signs of human presence. Arrangement is a beautifully composed bronze bouquet of white and pink lilies, flipped upside down. The bouquet rests on a single petal. While the gravity is miraculously absent this majestic flower becomes a symbolic gesture through its own implausible presentation. In the paintings on mirror and Window Sculptures, Matelli investigates transparency and opacity. The mirror paintings appear to be simple graffiti when it is in fact a thorough process of layering of urethane and acid on a mirrored ground. The windows are copies of cheap and mass-produced windows, created in laser-cut steel and cast bronze. The glass is replaced by opaque metal and the window, through the History of Art a symbol for an opening to new worlds; here becomes a barrier to a view. Tony Matelli (b. 1971) lives and works in Brooklyn. His work is currently shown in a major mid-career retrospective; Tony Matelli: A Human Echo at ARoS, Aarhus Kunstmuseum. The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue and runs through December 30, 2012.
The show will subsequently travel to Bergen Kunstmuseum, February 22 – Mars 28, 2013. For more information and images, please contact the gallery. Next show: Peter Hagdahl, January 10 – February 10, 2013