Matt Kotlarczyk
Cincinnati, OH
Education
1994 BFA University Of Cincinnati, D.A.A.P
Solo Exhibitions
2015 Tree of Life, Cincinnati Art Museum
2015 Cloud Construction I & II, Contemporary Arts Center (Cincinnati, OH)
2013 Olde St. George Lost to the Dragon, Clifton Cultural Arts Center,
2008 International Contemporary Furniture Fair (New York, NY)
2006 Carnegie Arts Center (Covington, KY)
Group Exhibitions
2012 Wintersculpt (Aspen, CO)
2012 Musical Chairs, Clifton Cultural Arts Ctr. (Cincinnati, OH)
2006-2013 The Art of Food, Carnegie Arts Center (Covington, KY)
Selected Collections
Cincinnati Art Museum
City Of Cincinnati
Proctor & Gamble (Cincinnati, OH)
Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden
Artworks (Cincinnati, OH)
The Carol Anne & Ralph V. Haile Foundation (Cincinnati, OH)
Artswave (Cincinnati, OH)
Artist Statement
The death of David Bowie drew my attention to his bravery-a lifetime of invention and reinvention; showing us his new creations. He was an artist. His characters, words and music were each new bodies of work. We were invited in for the experience. From album to album, he created and inhabited multiple personas, each with genuine conviction. This was the evolution of his ideas, both seen and heard.
As I grow older, I grow in many ways. It is not always comfortable to propel myself, facing the possibilities of failure and success and the excitement of learning from both experiences. I know when I have overcome challenges-feeling sure enough to proceed. I know, sometimes too late, when I still have challenges to overcome. This is when vital learning takes place-through trial and error.
When I was a kid, we had an Easter egg decoration, made of cast sugar, with a miniature scene inside. I looked into this tiny world many times. The scene was a fascinating, self-contained world.
I decided to use my egg for the project in this same way-creating my own universe inside. I assembled the materials, knowing what I wanted to use, but not how.
David Bowie showed me the way-I realized how vividly he described his characters-outrageous and sparkly Ziggy Stardust, tragic Major Tom, a lost Man Who Fell to Earth. These ethereal characters were created with words and sounds.
Lining the interior of my egg with dichroic foil, scraped from the reflective side of compact discs, gave me intense spectral reflections, which felt like I had a universe full of stars at my disposal. This became the reversely-magnified interior, which became the home for Major Tom and his space capsule, floating in space. The universe inside the egg, which once held the beginnings of another life, now holds not just one, but all life.
Which came 1st, the universe or the egg?