Matt Johnson: Wood Sculpture at 303 Gallery

303 Gallery is proud to present our second solo exhibition of new work by Matt Johnson. For this occasion, Johnson will exhibit a selection of sculptures in carved, bent, and painted wood. The objects depicted in his new works are the casual detritus of art studios or building sites, whose forms are the result of usage and discarding. Crumpled cardboard boxes, shards of cut drywall, a discarded cup, pizza box, and rolls of blue painter’s tape are preserved in stasis, forms that would normally be realized only in the temporality between utility and refuse. These simple moments of dispossession become the generators of their own poiesis, as their incidental elegance is preserved through replication as sculpture. In a conceit to the transient fragility of sculpture proffered by artists like Fischli & Weiss, a certain lack of the essential qualities that confer existence upon an object is imbued in Johnson’s forms. This impermanent nature is borne out by the sculptural constructions themselves, as their wooden armatures form the supports for objects that you would usually expect to see crumble in front of you.

Opening Reception: Thursday, January 12, 6-8PM