Matthew Cusick: Just a Kiss Away

September 16 – October 28, 2000

Kent Gallery is pleased to present an exhibition of recent paintings by the New York based artist, Matthew Cusick.  Created since his examination of the themes of modern architecture and film with the Diamonds are Foreverseries exhibited here in 1998, Cusick continues his investigations of suburbia exploring the relationship between the potential for nature's wrath and domestic habitation. The paintings touch upon the theme of man's desire to dominate nature and nature's ability to obliterate the landscape.  

“Men Argue, Nature Acts”  -Voltaire

His previous work marked Cusick as a representational, hard-edged painter.  The present body of work has evolved blurring the boundaries between representation and painterly intervention.  Brushwork has been abandoned, and the new panel paintings have been created using squeegees and plastering blades along with extensive layering and sanding in a reductive manner.  The experimentation with paint application has resulted in a grim and intense format. Pouring, dripping and flinging paint on to the canvas, he has allowed colors and textures to create works that resonate with artistic freedom. Never fully abandoning traditional brush strokes, these paintings are detailed with sophistication, overwhelming images with dense, aggressive rhythms. The process that engulfs the image comes to life in the eyes of the viewer.