Jason Matherly
ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
My relationship with these pieces is fairly comedic. Not that they’re funny but, as in the classical conception of comedy, they begin in disarray before reaching a happy ending. At first, the individual shapes aren’t especially attractive, and the colors aren’t much better. The contours are wobbly. The hues are garish. If you flip one over, you’ll see a bunch of screws holding it all together. Yet, once together, the elements invariably resolve one another in the most surprising ways. Suddenly whole, they’re full of delight. Sometimes they even take to a bit of preening. Lately, in fact, it seems more appropriate to describe them as brooches for walls than paintings.
Still, they can be impish at times. One recent piece I found so unappealing I hung it very low in a corner, just to teach it a lesson. To my great annoyance, it looked quite pleased with itself down there, and now I have to admit I like the damn thing after all. You see? It’s precisely this kind of petulance that leads to a title like If You’re So Smart, Why Aren’t You Rich?
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Jason Matherly (b. 1981) is an Athens, GA-based artist whose shaped paintings resemble cheerful brooches for walls. With their flat, bright colors and wobbling contours, his works invite playful arrangements: why not hang one beside the couch instead of over it? Matherly has participated in numerous group exhibitions, including at MOCA GA and Swan Coach House Gallery in Atlanta and Cavin-Morris Gallery in New York. His most recent solo exhibitions have been with Athica and the UGA Willson Center for Humanities and Arts, both in Athens, GA. His works are held in private collections internationally.