Artist statement
Matt Gee's work involves covering, melting, placing, arranging, of spaces and objects as some of the processes involved in the fabrication of my work.
There is a concern with the authenticity of materiality, the source of materials, jostling with the modern materialistic demands of human sensory decadent desire, a society that expects, an 'I want it now' culture.
His main interests lie in questioning the source of materials, whether they are man-made or natural occurring. Gee then takes this dichotomy of the synthetic vs. the authentic and apply it to my art practice through methods of imitation, replication, and manipulation and elevate this with methods of display, albeit art museum or shop display in the case of a turntable or a library cabinet, the result can be repulsive or seductive for the viewer.
An underlying theme in Gee's work is music, the titles are descriptive of the work, and also refer to famous bands such as Peal Jam or The Stone Roses.
Contextually he sits between artists who use natural materials to make work such as Wolfgang Laib and Giusseppe Penone, artists who use synthetic materials to make synthetic processes such as Susan Collis, and then artists who imitate natural objects and processes such as Tim Hawkinson and Roxy Paine.
Influences outside of the arts are photographs he takes of naturally occurring processes, and textures that I find interesting and display a visual dichotomy of the organic vs. the man-made. These images can range from him seeing the bridge of sighs in Venice plastered with vulgar fashion advertisement, to seeing mundane organic processes such as moss growing in a geometric and manmade formation, or a shell which has an artificial iridescent quality about it much like iridescent acetate.
Qualifications and training
- 2012 MA Fine Art, Wimbledon College of Art, London
- 2010 BA (Hons) Fine Art, Norwich University of the Arts, Norwich
- 2007 Foundation in Art and Design, Farnham University College of the Arts, Surrey
Employment
- 2013 Visitor services- Front of house, Royal Academy of Arts, London
- 2011 Tour Guide/ Front of house/Assistant, The Saatchi Gallery, London
- 2009 Gallery Assistant, NUCA Gallery, Norwich
Solo exhibitions
- 2011 Mother of Pearl Remix, Wimbledon College of Art Library Cabinet, Wimbledon, London
Group exhibitions
- 2013 Collision, Nancy Victor Gallery, London
- 2012 Part Two of Wrong door pop up project, Wrong Door Gallery, London
- 2012 Art is for life not just for christmas, Cultivate Gallery, London
- 2012 Wrong Door pop-up project, Wrong door gallery, Broadway market, London
- 2012 Kiss the future, Schwartz Gallery, London
- 2012 Paper Nautilus, Nautilus Press, London
- 2012 Making things you normally wouldn't make, Utrophia (Deptford X), London
- 2012 What does your screen smell like?, The Garage, London
- 2012 LAUNCH: Ceremony, Wimbledon Space, London
- 2012 Zen Garden, The Residence Gallery, London
- 2012 Artist of Tomorrow Awards, Debut Contemporary, London
- 2012 Out of the stable, Blackheath house, London
- 2012 On Fire, Vauxhall fire station, London
- 2012 Odds Against Tomorrow, Bearspace Gallery, Deptford, London
- 2012 Inclusions, The Stone Space, Leytonstone, London
- 2012 Memoria Technica, The Nunnery, Bow, London
- 2012 In and Out Board, Le Sorelle, Canary Wharf, London
- 2011 Stockholm Fringe Festival, Kulturhuset, Stockholm, Sweden
- 2011 Platform C:Emergent Art Show, Vyner Street Gallery, Vyner street, London
- 2011 Darling Buds, Parlour Project Space, London
- 2011 Outdoor sculpture exhibition, St Georges Gallery, London, Tooting, London
- 2011 Futura Oblique, Futura Bold, The Nunnery, Bow, London
- 2010 Hackneywood, The Residence Gallery, London
- 2010 Real Phony, Colegate, Norwich
- 2010 UFO Art Trail, Latitude Festival, Suffolk
- 2010 NUCA Degree show, NUCA, Norwich
- 2010 Resort, The Residence Gallery, London
- 2010 Elements, The Forum, Norwich
- 2009 Showcase, Cafe 1001, London
- 2009 Summer show, Kunstakademie Karlsruhe, Germany
- 2009 Suche WG Zimmer, Kunstakademie Karlsruhe, Germany
- 2009 Bread and Butter, Burt Gallery, London
- 2009 Bidder Bidder Bidder, Norwich Gallery, Norwich
- 2009 The Late Shift, Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, Norwich
- 2009 We have nothing to say, Norwich Gallery, Norwich
- 2008 Hans Brinker Trophy, Hans Brinker, Amsterdam, Holland
- 2008 Doctor Who Exhibition, Earls Court, London
- 2008 Students of Distinction, Farnham UCCA, Farnham
Curated projects
- 2012 Foyer Show, Wimbledon College of Art, Wimbledon
Residencies
- 2012 Art Parlour, Arcadia Missa/ Havering College/Wimbledon, Various, London
- 2009 4 month residency, Kunstakademie Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe, Germany
Competitions, prizes and awards
- 2012 Jealous Print Prize (Shortlisted), Jealous Gallery, London
- 2012 Artists of Tomorrow (Shortlisted), Debut Contemporary, London
- 2009 British Council Certificate of Merit, The British Council, London
- 2008 Hans Brinker Finalist, Hans Brinker, Amsterdam, NL
Publications
- 2012 Aesthetica Magazine- August/September issue
- 2011 Norwich University of the Arts Prospectus
- 2011 Evening Standard Online- http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/arts/artexhibition-20664295-futura-bold-futura-oblique.do
- 2010 Stockholm Fringe Festival catalogue
- 2010 EAST International 2010 catalogue, ‘East Projects’
- 2010 Raum, ‘Something to do with staples’, Exhibition and book, The Netherlands
Personal website
