76. Matt Hollis: uncertainty
April 10 - May 30, 2021
Online at https://www.proxygallery.com/matt-hollis
IG: proxygallery
The red pulpy “growth” in and around the Proxy gallery seems to be dissolving the neat white cube of the gallery. Paradoxically, it is made of soft red material, creating a contrast between the industrialized white box, and the holes through the walls, eating away at the gallery's edges. The sculpture resembles bloody organs or some other kind of mold or organic matter. It raises the question of interiority or exteriority. Is it a growth like mold that comes out of the gallery "walls” or is it an external virus that is invading the space? It could be both.
It is common to understand “institutional critique” as some sort of adversarial comment on the gallery system; we see the gallery system as straight, rigid and cold, and artwork as pliable, warm and authentic.
But what if the gallery itself breaks out in hives of rage producing mental and physical instability? Is the sculpture supporting the box, or the box containing the sculpture? Should we understand this as a corrosion or a healing?
The context of the global pandemic and worldwide protests make sense here in terms of the instability reflected in this work. It is possible that uncertainty itself leads to change, a different future.
Contact: Annetta Kapon akapon@otis.edu