Matt Hoyt

It’s difficult to write about a show I haven’t seen yet. Especially this one. I’ll try to describe the nature of the works included, the sculptures and paintings.

The sculptures are a continuation of my ongoing practice: small-scale works intended to conjure subjective and therefore unpredictable associations heightened by a visual space that oscillates between the ‘real’ and ‘imagined.’

The paintings are of a type that I’ve been making since around 2006, but the materials applied (tempera on illustration board) were introduced to me around 1991 by my high school art teacher, Ms. Bertie.

Aside from the choice of materials, the primary inspiration/influence behind the paintings lies in the archetypal power of the grid as employed by various cultures (Latvian folk designs, Navajo weaving, American barn quilts, etc.) likely going back to prehistoric times.

I really haven’t shared these paintings much publicly. In fact, they’re something I’ve turned to when life seems at its worst. Obviously high school was full of emotional torment, then a complete psychological breakdown around 2006 (I can’t remember), and now a pandemic.

My hope is that the combination of these two modes of art making will create an unlikely harmony in the gallery, and will express my response to darkness.

—Matt Hoyt, May 8, 2021