Matt Mitros

Another Place is pleased to present Substrate, an exhibition of nine sculptures by Matt Mitros.

Matt Mitros’ sculptures are an amalgamation of unconventional materials that culminate in a captivating tension between rough, plant-like forms and the clean lines and surfaces of 3D printing. Jagged, earthy, and rocklike forms that appear as prehistoric artifacts are contrasted by smooth, brightly colored semi-transparent pieces of acrylic. Each sculpture is its own complex world, made up of nontraditional techniques such as 3D printing, glazes of fingernail polish, and glitter-speckled resin.

While his practice suggests a circumvention of traditional ceramics, Mitros pays homage to its legacy. Within every one of the Substrate works there is a piece of a broken sculpture from the works of famous artists embedded, Peter Voulkos, Betty Woodman, Paul Soldner, Viola Frey and Ken Ferguson, that have been ball-milled for two days and repurposed.

With an aim to both deconstruct and rebuild, Mitros sculptures reconceives common objects like mugs and flowers. Stems, blossoms, and soil are reimagined with sensual forms. The most essential aspects of mugs, the negative space of the central vessel, the handle, and the saucer are rearranged, challenging its ergonomic design. There is still a suggestion of function, but also a delicateness that prompts fear of touch, leaving the works to reside in the confluence between acceptance, desire and fear.

Matt Mitros’ has been featured in Art in America, Art LTD, Clay Times, Ceramics Monthly, Maake Magazine, and City Arts Magazine, as well as the book 500 Figures in Clay. Mitros’ work is in the permanent public collections of the National Museum of Slovenia, Bemidji State University, the Spartanburg Art Museum, the de Young Museum, The Hudgens Center for the Arts, the Fine Arts Museum of Florida State University, the Everson Museum of Art, and others.