Matthew Satz: Smoke, Tar, Feather

Barbara Davis Gallery is pleased to announce Smoke, Tar, Feather, a solo-exhibition by New York artist Matthew Satz, opening Friday, February 12, with an artist’s reception from 6:30 – 8:30pm. This exhibition is on view through March 12, 2016.

In his exhibition, Smoke, Tar, Feather, Matthew Satz presents paintings that address his signature modus operandi: Concept + Process = Aesthetic, in which both the concept and process share equal weight in determining the aesthetic significance of an action.

By challenging art historical predecessors and conventions, Satz pursues the creation of a tabula rasa, or blank slate, works free of prehistory to encourage new practices of painting.

The Tar and Feather Paintings–abstract works comprised entirely of tar and feathers–when first realized in 1997 were interpreted as the artist’s origin. In the process of tarring and feathering the canvas, Satz addresses the ongoing discourse on the ‘death of painting’ and aligns himself within a lineage of artists aiming to arrive at an end to painting, namely Reinhardt, Rodchenko, and Malevich.

The Smoke Paintings emerged as an effort to achieve the most beautiful line, challenging artists like Cy Twombly and Brice Marden, each recognized by their distinguishable hand and signature lines. Satz utilizes primitive means, smoke and fire, to construct contemporary works that embody elegant line and form. In doing so, he accomplishes the revered technique of sfumato and as John McWhinnie writes, creates “a seamless surface”.

The diptychs, composed of both the Smoke Paintings and Tar and Feather Paintings, examine the relationship between the two series of works. A dichotomy exists amongst the panels, as the kinetic feathers embedded in tar interact with the physical space, while the smoke rests static in the oil paint merely alluding to the concept of movement. Satz creates an experience for the viewer, encouraging them to engage and interact with the immersive nature of his work.

Matthew Satz (b. 1971) lives and works in East Hampton, New York and Miami, Florida. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Brandeis University in 1993 and attended the School of Visual Arts and Southampton College of Long Island University in New York. Selected exhibitions include Wooster Projects, New York, NY; Flash Art Project Room, Scope New York, NY; Parrish Art Museum, Southampton, NY; Islip Art Museum, NY; FEMACO (Feria Mexico Arte Contemporaneo), Mexico City, MX; Barbara Davis Gallery, Houston, TX; Barker Hangar, Santa Monica, CA; Florence Biennale 2007, Florence, Italy; and the Santa Monica Museum of Art, CA. His selected collections include Yale University (New Haven, Connecticut), Parrish Art Museum (Southampton, New York), and Fayez Sarofim (Houston, Texas).

Pictured: Matthew Satz, Tar and Feather / Smoke Painting Diptych, 2016 (detail above, full image below).