Matthew Brannon was born on 1971 in St. Maries, Idaho. Matthew Brannon grew up surrounded by the death rock and punk scene of Los Angeles. Opportunities to simply and quickly produce advertising and informative material such as posters, postcards, flyers and fanzines were utilised in manifold ways in this subculture, and were a definitive influence on Brannon's artistic socialisation. He now lives in New York and works in both the high- and low-end production of prints and posters. His tapestries and prints are produced using classic printing processes, the nature of which is often contrary to the dreary images they create.
Brannon's elegance and formalism is contrasted by consistent eerie content. Thus the supposedly easy-to-consume surfaces are overturned by the use of sinister, sometimes surreal-seeming texts, as seen in the series of two-colour silkscreen prints in the exhibition. Stylish graphic depictions of plants hover above the titles "How it all ends", "Hair of the Dog", "Police Officer Giving up" and "Sick Whore".
Following the thematic guidelines of "Penetration" (Brannon's last show at Jan Winkelmann / Berlin) "Hyena" extends his focus on the issue of the frailty and vulnerability of the human psyche. The constant and more or less present fears that sometimes allow a glimpse into the deepest of human abysses. Often these lead to what the artist calls "personal pathologies", i.e. substance abuse, alcoholism, sexual misadventure, careerism and megalomania. Best seen in the two new letterpress pieces, which balance between prose and poetry.
In addition to the already mentioned print series, two new large-format tapestries will be displayed. The oversized, almost iconic eels echo both graphically and conceptually the image of a whip.
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2006
666, USC Roski School of Fine Arts, Los Angeles
An Ongoing Low-Grade Mystery, Paula Cooper Gallery, New York
Social Design, Badischer Kunstverein, Karlsruhe
Matthew Brannon, Wade Guyton, Patrick Hill, United Artists Ltd., Marfa
Exquisite Corpse, Mitchel Algus Gallery, New York
Slowburn, Galerie Edward Mitterand, Geneva
2005
Uncertain States of America, Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art, Oslo;
Musιe d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris; Center for Curatorial Studies, Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY;
Reykjavik Art Museum, Reykjavik
Suspended Narration, Lora Reynolds Gallery, Austin
Passion Beyond Reason, Wallstreet
One Gallery, Berlin
Temporary Import, Special Exhibition at Art Forum Berlin
Threshold, MW Projects, London
New Tapestries, Sarah Meltzer Gallery, New York
The Most Splendid Apocalypse, PPOW, New York
Post No Bills, White Columns, New York
There Is a City in My Mind, Southfirst, New York
Wordplay, Julie Saul Gallery, New York
Good Titles from Bad Books, Kevin Bruk Gallery, Miami
Greater New York 2005, P.S.1, New York
Lesser New York, Fia Bδckstrφm Production, New York
We love Amerika, Jan Winkelmann / Berlin
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