Arts + Literature Laboratory presents Thrown, an exhibition by Bridge Work Madison participant Taj Matumbi, from Tuesday, November 28, 2023 through Friday, December 22, 2023.
A reception for our Bridge Work Madison exhibitions will be held on Saturday, December 2, 2023, 6:00pm to 8:00pm.
Artist statement:
The impetus for this exhibition came from a desire to portray a mythical version of my unknown ancestry with dignity. Thrown aims to explore the uncanny bridge between biography versus myth which feels thematically American in subject. Thrown is a group of paintings I developed from a series of drawings I made back in 2022 which were influenced by the 17th-century European ruling class. In these drawings, I was concerned with depicting abstract portraits of royalty and spectacle. In each piece in Thrown, the viewer is faced with abstract figures in different situations reminiscent of aristocratic high society. These figures embody opulent personas from the era, such as the fool, the prince, and the king. I intended each painting to be a sort of retelling of my ancestors stemming from Africa and Europe captured with my formal and provisional approach to my craft. In addition, this personal yet mythical exploration Thrown addresses different types of representation of people who aren’t portrayed in the historical narrative which has led to Western society.