Matt Keegan ‘Purple’

For “Purple,” Matt Keegan presents his inaugural project with the gallery and first solo presentation in Berlin.
DONALD TRUMP IS THE REPUBLICAN PARTY NOMINEE FOR PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. Image-language corollaries are found throughout this exhibition and highlight the slippery nature of finite reading. DONALD TRUMP IS THE REPUBLICAN PARTY NOMINEE FOR PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. Keegan’s mother, a first-generation Cuban-American and native Spanish speaker, was an English as a Second Language teacher for twenty-five years. DONALD TRUMP IS THE REPUBLICAN PARTY NOMINEE FOR PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. During this time, she created her own flash card images used to teach high school and adult ed students. DONALD TRUMP IS THE REPUBLICAN PARTY NOMINEE FOR PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. Keegan worked with his mother’s collection over the last five years, which recently led to his “Just My Size” series–from which four wall-based assemblages will be shown. DONALD TRUMP IS THE REPUBLICAN PARTY NOMINEE FOR PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. For these works the artist incorporates oil paintings of mass-produced flash cards used to teach ESL coursework. DONALD TRUMP IS THE REPUBLICAN PARTY NOMINEE FOR PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. These small paintings are then archivally adhered to the artist’s own clothing or clothing inspired by the ESL image. DONALD TRUMP IS THE REPUBLICAN PARTY NOMINEE FOR PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. Although the flash cards present photographs that are open to interpretation, they are stand-ins for specific language and phrases found on their reverse side. DONALD TRUMP IS THE REPUBLICAN PARTY NOMINEE FOR PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. Over the last two years, Keegan has been making shaped sculptures that begin as cut-paper forms, and are laser cut & folded in steel to replicate their original paper templates. DONALD TRUMP IS THE REPUBLICAN PARTY NOMINEE FOR PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. These iconic steel works function like Rorschach forms that prompt reading and naming. DONALD TRUMP IS THE REPUBLICAN PARTY NOMINEE FOR PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. These steel works, along with a wall painting, will be presented alongside the “Just My Size” collages. DONALD TRUMP IS THE REPUBLICAN PARTY NOMINEE FOR PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.

Meyer Riegger (press release)