Over There
Posted October 8, 2007 by jmacphee in Events
A new installation exhibition by Justseeds artist Colin Matthes and fellow-traveler Brandon Bauer:
Over There
Brandon Bauer & Colin Matthes
Brooks Barrow Gallery, Milwaukee, WI
October 1 through October 27th, 2007
Artist Reception: Saturday, October 13, 2007
This exhibition brings together the work of Colin Matthes and Brandon Bauer, two artists engaged in work dealing with topical subjects for over a decade. The work on display comes from Matthes’ ongoing series Everyday Transactions, and Bauer’s Soldier series. The exhibition also features a series of collaborative paintings and drawings.
In the work of both artists, one can see an honest search for understanding of the mechanisms that drive war and conflict, a voice challenging American aggression, and sympathy for all those affected by conflict. The work often presents more questions than conclusions and in contemplating the work a rich and layered interpretation unfolds. These artists seek to see the whole situation and ultimately to find a new way forward. A common motif in both artists work is the soldier, depicted at once as a fortified mass, as protector, as a vulnerable human being, and as a disposable resource.
In Matthes’ work, one sees an artist striving to understand the mechanisms of American hegemony often creating paradoxical scenarios that include business transactions, leisure activities, and elements of warfare. The work asks questions about humanity and our relationships in this globalized world. In Bauer’s Soldier series the work show an immense sympathy for the soldiers fighting and dying from an unseen enemy. The works on display by both artists are two sides of the same coin. These works question the cost of war, as well as its effect.
We are fortunate in this exhibition to not only see the remarkable work of two very talented artists, but we are also given the opportunity to see where their distinct body’s of work intersect in the collaborative pieces on display. In a time of divisive politics it is easy for those on any side of an issue to offer sound byte solutions to the complex situations that face our world. It is refreshing to find two artists engaged in these issues and unafraid to tackle them in all of their complexity, and yet both artists speak directly and honestly in their distinctive works.
For more information, please contact the gallery at 414.331.8635.
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