Matthew Carter
mec0512@yahoo.com
Moline, Illinois
mec0512@yahoo.com
Moline, Illinois
Artist Statement:
What is comforting and what is true are
often two very different things. Inspired by
Hannah Arendt’s “Banality of Evil”, social
psychology experiments such as the
Milgram and Stanford Prison Experiments
sought to explain the horrors of the
Holocaust. Revealing the dark side of
human nature, these experiments clearly
demonstrate authority’s power over morals
and the sadistic capabilities of ordinary
people. Alerting us to the dangers within,
these outcomes make painfully clear the
brutal reality of human nature.
My art is both an exploration of this reality,
and through its acknowledgement, a
gesture of defiance. Working mainly in
portraiture, the subjective qualities of the
photograph are repackaged through layers
of glitter. From the calm persona of a Nazi
henchman to the gratuitous gore of a crime
scene, man’s depravity is put on spectacle.
Ranging from exact replicas to abstract
interpretations; guilt, nationalism,
seduction, repulsion, and individual
prejudice are all paralleled. Beautiful yet
cheap, the inherit dichotomy of glitter
exposes the duality of human nature.
Blurring the lines between endorsement
and condemnation, this juxtaposition of
image and material confronts the viewer
with moral grayness. Alluding to the
monsters within, each piece is a dilemma,
raising more questions than answers.
What is comforting and what is true are
often two very different things. Inspired by
Hannah Arendt’s “Banality of Evil”, social
psychology experiments such as the
Milgram and Stanford Prison Experiments
sought to explain the horrors of the
Holocaust. Revealing the dark side of
human nature, these experiments clearly
demonstrate authority’s power over morals
and the sadistic capabilities of ordinary
people. Alerting us to the dangers within,
these outcomes make painfully clear the
brutal reality of human nature.
My art is both an exploration of this reality,
and through its acknowledgement, a
gesture of defiance. Working mainly in
portraiture, the subjective qualities of the
photograph are repackaged through layers
of glitter. From the calm persona of a Nazi
henchman to the gratuitous gore of a crime
scene, man’s depravity is put on spectacle.
Ranging from exact replicas to abstract
interpretations; guilt, nationalism,
seduction, repulsion, and individual
prejudice are all paralleled. Beautiful yet
cheap, the inherit dichotomy of glitter
exposes the duality of human nature.
Blurring the lines between endorsement
and condemnation, this juxtaposition of
image and material confronts the viewer
with moral grayness. Alluding to the
monsters within, each piece is a dilemma,
raising more questions than answers.
| "A New Millennium a New Man" 2006, Glitter Gesso Board, 8"x6" |
| ."A New Millennium a New Man" 2006, Glitter on Gesso Board, 6"x5" |
| "Love In War" 2005, Glitter on Styrofoam, 38"x 37" |
| "Boy Scouts of America " 2005, Glitter on Wood, 33"x26" |
| "Indian" 2007, Glitter on Wood, 23"x19" |
| ."Full of Myself" 2007, Glitter, Enamel, Acrylic, Plastic Jewels on Wood, 33"x23" |
