White Room: Matt Damhave

September 11–October 24, 2015 320 West 13th Street White Room
Three works installed on two adjacent walls. From left to right: Rider of the Black Lit Dark Age, Ladies and gentlemen we are standing in place, and Insufficient fun.

Matt Damhave, installation view, 2015

Two oil on canvas paintings installed on adjacent walls. On the left is Rule No. 1, and on the right, Earn Baby Urn. Both are brightly colored works that feature the use of text in a pointillistic style.

Matt Damhave, installation view, 2015

A busy, brightly colored painting which features the text “Nervous Breakdown”, “Again”, “Work”, and “I Give Up.” Also visible are various cartoon illustrations, including one of the character Yotsuba.

Matt Damhave
404 on the Floor, 2015
Oil on canvas
40 × 30 in.

An embroidered vest featuring various bright patterns and motifs. The word “anarchy” has been sewn into it repeatedly. A set of long cloth strips hang from either side.

Matt Damhave
A was for Anarchy, 2015
Mixed media and vest

A painting featuring the words “TAKE YOUR TIME,” rendered in all capitals in a pointillistic style. The cartoon character Yotsuba and an illustration of two hands breaking a rifle in half also appear among the letters.

Matt Damhave
Rule No. 1, 2015
Oil on canvas
48 × 36 in.

Press Release

White Columns is proud to present “Help Is On Delay” a solo exhibition by the New York-based artist Matt Damhave.

“The Edge… There is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over. The others — the living — are those who pushed their luck as far as they felt they could handle it, and then pulled back, or slowed down, or did whatever they had to when it came time to choose between Now and Later.” – Hunter S. Thompson

Matt Damhave’s exhibition comprises a recent series of oil-on-canvas paintings and a selection of textile works created since 2012. Exploring the notion of the ‘edge’: the proverbial ‘edge’ addressed by Mr. Thompson in his now famous quote; the ‘edge’ that is hidden when a patch is applied to mend a hole; the ‘edge’ of information and technology, or the internet for that matter; and the ‘edge’ of the future, a future in which “no one has computers anymore.” Working with a labor-intensive, pointillist approach to image-making that mirrors the pixilation of the screen, a recurring motif in these recent paintings is the character Yotsuba, a popular figure from the web subculture of 4chan, who often appears on “404 page not found” notifications. Elsewhere a stalwart image of the war resistance league – a broken rifle – is juxtaposed with William Burroughs sage advice to potential gun fighters: “TAKE YOUR TIME.” Another key image in “Help Is On Delay” –of a crashed ambulance – amplifies the idea of fallibility that is central to Damhave’s project: a notion evidenced in the repaired textile works (2012-15), each a visceral acknowledgement that everything remains in flux, in a state of entropy.

Matt Damhave (b. 1978) is a New York-based artist who studied at the Maryland Institute College of Art (1997-1999.) He was a co-founder of Imitation of Christ, and his own work has been exhibited in New York, Tokyo, Los Angeles, Mexico City, and Sao Paulo. He had a solo exhibition at New York’s Half Gallery in 2008. He also makes audio and visual work under the name Unchi Neko.

White Columns would like to thank Bill Powers for his introduction to Matt.

For more information contact: info@whitecolumns.org

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Related Press

Three works installed on two adjacent walls. From left to right: Rider of the Black Lit Dark Age, Ladies and gentlemen we are standing in place, and Insufficient fun.
Two oil on canvas paintings installed on adjacent walls. On the left is Rule No. 1, and on the right, Earn Baby Urn. Both are brightly colored works that feature the use of text in a pointillistic style.
A busy, brightly colored painting which features the text “Nervous Breakdown”, “Again”, “Work”, and “I Give Up.” Also visible are various cartoon illustrations, including one of the character Yotsuba.
An embroidered vest featuring various bright patterns and motifs. The word “anarchy” has been sewn into it repeatedly. A set of long cloth strips hang from either side.
A painting featuring the words “TAKE YOUR TIME,” rendered in all capitals in a pointillistic style. The cartoon character Yotsuba and an illustration of two hands breaking a rifle in half also appear among the letters.

Matt Damhave, installation view, 2015 (Three works installed on two adjacent walls. From left to right: Rider of the Black Lit Dark Age, Ladies and gentlemen we are standing in place, and Insufficient fun.)

Matt Damhave, installation view, 2015 (Two oil on canvas paintings installed on adjacent walls. On the left is Rule No. 1, and on the right, Earn Baby Urn. Both are brightly colored works that feature the use of text in a pointillistic style.)

Matt Damhave 404 on the Floor, 2015 Oil on canvas 40 × 30 in. (A busy, brightly colored painting which features the text “Nervous Breakdown”, “Again”, “Work”, and “I Give Up.” Also visible are various cartoon illustrations, including one of the character Yotsuba.)

Matt Damhave A was for Anarchy, 2015 Mixed media and vest (An embroidered vest featuring various bright patterns and motifs. The word “anarchy” has been sewn into it repeatedly. A set of long cloth strips hang from either side.)

Matt Damhave Rule No. 1, 2015 Oil on canvas 48 × 36 in. (A painting featuring the words “TAKE YOUR TIME,” rendered in all capitals in a pointillistic style. The cartoon character Yotsuba and an illustration of two hands breaking a rifle in half also appear among the letters.)