LIFE BEYOND FIRST CLASS
ARTS & COLLECTIBLES
THE MATRIX
SERIES
Matt Paweski debuts new work in
first solo museum exhibition in Hartford, Connecticut.
Bouquet (Polished), 2022. Aluminum, aluminum rivets, vinyl paint.
Mirror lamp, 2022.
Aluminum, aluminum rivets, acrylic, LEDs and wiring hardware, enamel.
In his first solo museum exhibition, Matt Paweski debuts his latest body of work in an installation that mixes elements of architecture, furniture, and interior design. In its nearly 50-year history the Wadsworth’s MATRIX series has regularly presented exhibitions by emerging artists, encouraging exploration of their practice. Matt Paweski / MATRIX 191 will be on view February 3–May 7, 2023, at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art.
Trained in carpentry and fabrication, Matt Paweski makes abstract sculptures from painted aluminum. His works often suggest functionality, referencing industrial design and furniture making, yet they emerge from a manual process of drawing, cutting, painting, reconfiguration, and experimentation. Lushly colored surfaces and crisp machine-like forms draw viewers into optical experiences that swing between recognition and unfamiliarity. The Los Angeles based artist will deliver an opening night talk at the Wadsworth on Thursday, February 2 at 6pm.
Bonnet (Shaker), 2022.
Aluminum, fir plywood, aluminum rivets, aluminum hardware, vinyl paint, enamel, plastic.
“Paweski’s awareness of history and context, coupled with the singularity of his aesthetic, make him a true embodiment of the spirit of MATRIX,” says Jared Quinton, Interim Curator of Contemporary Art at the Wadsworth. “With their intensity of line, color, and craftsmanship, his sculptures are like compact bundles of energy waiting to be unleashed. Their greatest power lies, however, in the ambiguity they are able to sustain. In a world overrun with standard design, material waste, and visual information, these works function like modest proposals, prompts for questioning, or catalysts for reflection. They draw us in with their formal beauty and strangeness, then send us back into the world looking for answers.”
The new body of sculpture includes forms that recall miniature architectural maquettes realized in opposing extremes of palette, visual weight, and surface finish; small knots of wave-like metal curves reminiscent of roboticized flora or fauna; artist-made chairs; a cluster of eight sculptural pendant lights occupying and illuminating a “room” of their own; and two bold green and yellow tables with aluminum sculptures embedded into their surfaces. Floating walls transform the oblong gallery creating intimate environments in which to experience these works.
Heart Shelf, 2022.
Aluminum, aluminum rivets, vinyl paint.
Bonnet (Fancy), 2022.
Aluminum, aluminum rivets, vinyl paint.
Since its inception in 1975, MATRIX has been a forum for celebrating cutting-edge art and artists at the Wadsworth. The first exhibition series of its kind, the Wadsworth’s MATRIX program has inspired more than 50 similar programs dedicated to contemporary art at museums across the country. Paweski’s MATRIX project marks the 191st installation of the prescient series.
Program Highlights For details and tickets visit
thewadsworth.org/matrix191
All works by Matt Paweski. Photography by Ruben Diaz. Courtesy of the artist,
Gordon Robichaux, New York and Herald Street, London.