I believe in the pleasure of looking, the desire for images, objects, situations and experiences. There is virtue in pleasure. Beauty is not a taboo. The payoff of curiosity is in sensation as well as in solution. Each series of works that I create have origins in conceptual approaches to art making, but transform into formats that tend to be much more humorous, beautiful, and curious than by-the-book conceptualism tends to generate. I believe that since the first level of engagement with visual art is to see it, the best art takes this fact seriously and either looks stunning or finds some means to seduce its audience. I also believe that seeing is immediately connected to cognitive processes and that art should aspire to engage intellectually as well. Visual thinking is not necessarily connected to language, although it can be and often is. It is not necessarily linear. It is not necessarily logical. Visual thinking and experience reference that which we know and have already experienced, as well as providing something completely new.
My recent works have ranged from seductive, minimal objects to ephemeral installations composed of powdered pigments to works utilizing negative ion generators and video that borders the fetishistic. Each is motivated by my personal experience and emotion, as well as critical analysis and conceptual devices. My intent is that these works provide a seductive visual experience as well as intellectual engagement without reliance on specific agendas or socio-cultural references. It is an invitation to be visual, to be cognitive, to be curious, to explore, and to enjoy.
Matthew Gehring
www.matthewgehring.com
