matthew hunt

cause i see the light surrounding you, so don't be afraid

1 june - 30 june 2007

Matthew Hunt is a Perth based artist who graduated from Curtin University in 1995 with honours, after completing a graphic design course at the Perth Technical College in 1987.

He has exhibited extensively since 1995, group shows include Hatched, Director’s Choice [selected by the Art Gallery of Western Australia’s Director Alan Dodge in 1999], Do it [as part of the Perth International Arts Festival in 2001], Flux [2003 at Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery], and Mix Tape at the Art Gallery of WA in 2005.

Matthew has held 12 solo exhibitions, including last year’s Backwater at the Holmes a Court Gallery, with the book launch of a major monograph of the same name. During 2002 to 2004 Matthew travelled overseas, undertaking research and residencies that resulted in exhibitions in New Zealand, Japan, Hong Kong and Switzerland. His artworks have been acquired by the Art Gallery of Western Australia, Artbank and Curtin University.

Cause I see the light surrounding you… includes an installation of ‘meteors’, video and text works. Combined they are evidence of the myriad of stimuli and discord that constitute contemporary life. Filtered, they become fragments of memory, fleeting moments, chance encounters, coincidences, misinterpretations, a riff of music repeating in your head, a scent or noise that recalls the past, an amateur video of a falling meteorite. They all confirm, ‘it happened, I was there.’ The title of this exhibition is no exception.

Matthew explained, “A piece of paper blows into the front yard. On it is a hand written sentence, surrounded by a loose cloud design, or a speech bubble. There is some understated coloured pencil work and a couple of love hearts. I think it is written by a woman, it has a softness to it, Cause I See the Light Surrounding You, So Don’t Be Afraid. I am intrigued and touched by this statement. I wonder why this has come to me... Months later I am telling the story to a friend who immediately identifies the statement as a lyric. To my disappointment I know the song and the band and I know where the piece of paper came from - the Karaoke club across the road. But things have moved on, the sentence has transformed for me. It has formed links with other aspects of my art and life and I become glad again that it blew into my yard”.

So too, the text works by Matthew Hunt in this exhibition confirm that something exists beyond the words. They are not merely the remnants of our rapid paced, complicated age, they are pointers to memories, significant moments. Hand-cut into scraperboard, they defy technological advances of print reproduction, and their typographical design enhances the meaning of the words. Time has been invested into recapturing and puzzling over the meanings and memories evoked.

Matthew’s art is constantly fluid and personal, connecting ideas, referencing history, politics and society as he attempts to position himself in the world: “I guess my ideas build up, it’s an accumulation thing. I follow leads, I get distracted, forget, misread or mishear; I collect, I get fascinated for no particular reason and things catch my eye. They tend to be things which are overlooked, or on the periphery, or too close… For me, there’s a sense of loss, of the temporal nature of experience and a realisation about how quickly the moment of discovery moves on.”

Meanings often remain slippery and elusive, they are evidence of his life in all its complexity and do not allow simple readings. Yet within the work’s secret history, there is an invitation for the viewer to share in the wonder and participate in life’s shared experiences.

Matthew noted, “This is really a symbiotic relationship; my work is not above the audience, but a part of them.” [Backwater, interview with Robert Cook, p.81 & 8]

Matthew’s book, Backwater, is for sale in the gallery.

matthew hunt artwork
untitled [crutcher]
crutches, chicken wire, aluminium, papier-mache, acrylic paint, enamel paint
133 x 72 x 45cm
2007
$2,900
matthew hunt artwork
untitled [ball breaker '87]
stool, chicken wire, aluminium, papier-mache, acrylic paint, enamel paint
122 x 50 x 55cm
2007
$2,450
matthew hunt artwork
cause i see the light surrounding you, so don't be afraid
scraperboard
50 x 30cm
2006-07
$1,600 sold
matthew hunt artwork
shit. did i really say that out loud
scraperboard
43.5 x 22cm
2006-07
$1,300 sold
matthew hunt artwork
untitled [big daddy]
shag rug, chicken wire, aluminium, papier-mache, acrylic paint, enamel paint
49 x 140 x 206cm
2007
$2,450
matthew hunt artwork
untitled [apache]
stool, rug, chicken wire, aluminium, papier-mache, acrylic paint, enamel paint, varnish, permanent marker
56 x 70 x 70cm
2007
$2,450
matthew hunt artwork
text series
scraperboard
20 x 15cm each
2006-07
$650 each sold 31 of 42 inc. 10 to australian capital equity, 12 to artbank
matthew hunt artwork
franz west
scraperboard
20 x 15cm
2006-07
$650
matthew hunt artwork
hell cat
scraperboard
20 x 15cm
2006-07
$650 sold
matthew hunt artwork
untitled [son of a bitch]
chicken wire, aluminium, papier-mache, acrylic paint, enamel paint
60 x 60 x 45cm
2007
$1,900
matthew hunt artwork
untitled [ol' smokie]
book, chicken wire, aluminium, papier-mache, acrylic paint, enamel paint
34 x 36 x 32cm
2007
$1,800
matthew hunt artwork
pissant
scraperboard
20 x 15cm
2006-07
$650
matthew hunt artwork
instant loans
scraperboard
20 x 15cm
2006-07
$650
matthew hunt artwork
untitled [jimbo]
chicken wire, aluminium, papier-mache, acrylic paint, enamel paint, varnish, shelf
45 x 35 x 64cm
2007
$1,500
matthew hunt artwork
untitled [uncle mack]
chicken wire, aluminium, papier-mache, acrylic paint, shelf
66 x 48 x 49cm
2007
$1,500
matthew hunt artwork
mount panorama
scraperboard
20 x 15cm
2006-07
$650 sold
matthew hunt artwork
torches knives boots
scraperboard
20 x 15cm
2006-07
$650 sold
matthew hunt artwork
untitled [lake on fire] after norrie
chicken wire, papier-mache, enamel paint, shelf
32 x 22 x 26cm
2007
$700 sold
matthew hunt artwork
untitled [diamond mine]
stool, rug, chicken wire, aluminium, papier-mache, acrylic paint, enamel paint
70 x 70 x 23cm
2007
$1,800
matthew hunt artwork
untitled [ronnie]
chicken wire, papier-mache, enamel paint, shelf
29 x 21 x 26cm
2007
$700
matthew hunt artwork
untitled [pattern maker]
chicken wire, papier-mache, acrylic paint, enamel paint, varnish, shelf
24 x 28 x 30cm
2007
$900
matthew hunt artwork
untitled [fever]
chicken wire, papier-mache, acrylic paint, enamel paint, varnish, shelf
27 x 30 x 33cm
2007
$900
matthew hunt artwork
untitled [abstract city] after greenhalgh
chicken wire, papier-mache, aluminium, acrylic paint, enamel paint, shelf
27 x 30 x 33cm
2007
$700