Nothing is destroyed, nothing is created. Matter and energy, forever conserved, can only change form. 1
Matt Killen bases his painting on an "aesthetic of entropy". According to the laws of thermodynamics, entropy is the evolution of order into disorder. Corrosion, erosion, deterioration, and other forms of destruction lead to an ultimate entropic state.
In his earlier works, the artist explored entropy through his depictions of urban spaces in decay. His recent works concentrate on still lifes "found" in piles of rubbish or in the remains of demolition or renovation projects. First, the sources for his inspiration are filtered through camera lenses, digitally altered, then rendered in paint, infusing them with a new pictorial identity. Without losing the aesthetic properties of the work, Matt Killen's paintings deal with issues of compositional structure: the lines that make up a mound of debris flow across the canvas in all directions, challenging perspective, and the logical ordering of form is suspended in favour of layering and transparency. The objective is to create complex compositions that feature contrasts between form and content, flatness and fluidity, while maintaining cohesion through theme and composition.
Galerie Dominique Bouffard invites you to discover Vestiges, Matt Killen's first professional solo exhibition in Quebec.
Bio
Born in Ottawa, Matt Killen holds a BFA from Concordia University and a MFA from Université de Québec à Montréal. His career includes both visual arts (mainly painting and sound installations) and music. In 2008, he was featured in the Magenta Foundation's publication, "Carte Blanche Vol.2: Painting" which brought together the best of today's painters in Canada. He is a founding member of the Centre de recherche urbaine de Montréal (CRUM), an artists' collective and publishing house. Matt Killen's work has been exhibited in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, and Pittsburgh. He currently lives and works in Toronto.
1 Entropy : Encyclopédia of Agora (agora.qc.ca)
March 30th - May 1st , 2011
Opening: March 30th - 6 p.m.
Opening Hours : Wednesday - Friday 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. / Saturday- Sunday Noon - 5 p.m.