Matt Frock is co-owner of FROCK GALLERY along with partner Annelies Deltour. Matt’s art studio is on display in the back of the gallery. Visitors are invited to come have a look and see artworks in progress. Matt does not exhibit in the main viewing area of the gallery, however his latest works are always on display in the studio. To learn more about Matt’s work, scroll down or visit mattfrockart.com. Follow him @mattfrockart on Instagram and Facebook.
1995,
I was a student at the Rhode Island School of Design, an institution
that profoundly enhanced my understanding of contemporary art and art
history. I was suddenly a dumb kid who knew a lot of stuff about
making art and it’s history. I was lucky enough to be on a bus trip
to New York City that year. The drop off point was in front of the
MET. A retrospective of Howard Hodgkin’s work was being exhibited.
Being a dumb kid, I sought out all the art I was already familiar
with in the museum. On the way back to the bus, I passed the entrance
to the retrospective exhibit. Impulsively, I decided to walk through
it on the way. Half way through, I stopped. The painting “Writing”
leaped off the wall and opened up into an immense space. It was one
of the most real-looking, beautiful optical illusions I had ever
seen. I turned back to the start of the show and let all of the work
open up before my eyes to reveal their alternate worlds. I was late
getting back to the bus, but it was worth it. I never forgot the
experience. Twenty-seven years later, I still vividly remember it and
finally feel I understand Hodgkin’s work enough to respond to it.
Portrait of the Heart, Oil on stretched linen, 80 x 100 cm, 2022
In the words of the artist:
“Portrait of the Heart” was originally titled, “Portrait of the Artistist Howard Hodgkin,” followed by still more earlier attempts to understand what I had painted. This painting marks the emergence from experimentation and imitation to a deliberate creation with personal style. I had been setting out to make imitations of Hodgkins work, attempting to develop an understanding of his visual language. “Portrait of the Heart” was the first painting from those experiments to culminate into something more than a copy.
“Portrait of the Heart” depicts a tangled red muscle - an impossible knot – boxed within the confines of a golden door. The deep blue space within the box feels like a cold infinity of emptiness. The human heart emerges and bears itself to the outside world, vulnerable and alien. A reminder of the courage we should all hope to posses day to day.
Blue Anomaly, Oil paint on stretched linen, 70 x 100 cm, 2022
Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena is the meaning behind the new US government acronym, UAP. UAP has recently become the term preferred by authorities when referring to Unidentified Flying Objects, or the more commonly known UFO.
The artist explains, “I have an arms-length interest in what has been referred to as ‘High Strangeness.’ I find these ‘rabbit holes’ compelling, but I try to stay away from them because the line between fiction, speculation, facts and authoritative sources becomes remarkably blurred quickly. I find myself torn between general disbelief of our governments and storytelling. I am usually stuck in the middle when it comes to discerning the truth. I have no problem believing all sides of the story. I don’t know the true boundary of our governments actions and I don’t know the full scope of the reality we all share. It’s compelling, but I keep it at arms-length before it becomes personally consuming.”
The painting, “Blue Anomaly” therefore is a depiction of the artists imagining of High Strangeness. A blue, animated blur occupies the center of the painting encapsulated by energetic marks of orange and green. The space behind the anomaly is deep and ambiguous in unsettling colors. The unfamiliar gold space simultaneously references a shimmering interior, but also the wheat and straw you might find in a crop circle.
Night Waves, Oil paint on primed wood and frame, 55 x 45 x 10 cm, 2022
“Night Waves” depicts a recurring theme in Matt’s work of the sea at night. These sea-at-night paintings depict a memory of a forgotten event or dream. The artist doesn’t recollect the occurrence of what these paintings portray, but he describes the memory as “familiar, haunting, and from the distant past.” The memory evokes a feeling of being stranded at sea, unable to swim to shore.
“Night Waves” specifically depicts a looming, dark cliff over white-water waves crashing into the rocks below. The full moon rises large on the horizon. The green grasses and vegetation of the coastal landscape color the environment.
EDUCATION:
1997 - BFA - Illustration. Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI.
2007 - MFA - Painting. The University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA.
PUBLICATIONS & AFFILIATED LINKS:
2020 - Intersilient.com: review of Affordable Art Fair Battersea 2020 (featuring Matt Frock's paintings)
2019 - Vivid Ruminations: Interview with Matt Frock - Aesthetica Magazine, April 2019
2016 - Matthew Frock: It Was Beautiful, Title Magazine, by Steve Basel, April 6, 2016
EXHIBITIONS & ART FAIRS:
2023 - Affordable Art Fair, Brussels - BE
2022 - Affordable Art Fair, Brussels - BE
2022 - Discovery Art Fair, Cologne, DE
2021 - art3f Mulhouse - FR
2021 - Affordable Art Fair, Brussels - BE
2020 - Discovery Art Fair Frankfurt - DE
2020 - Affordable Art Fair Battersea Spring - UK (read review)
2020 - art3f Paris - FR
2019 - art3f Mulhouse - FR
2019 - Amsterdam International Art Fair - NL
2019 - artpul Eupen - BE
2019 - Sussex Art Fairs (West) - UK
2019 - Discovery Art Fair Cologne - DE
2019 - art3f Paris - FR
2018 - art3f Brussels - BE
2017 - A View Like Ours - Langemark-Poelkapelle Gemeentehuis, BE
2016 - It Was Beautiful - Tiger Strikes Asteroid Gallery, Philadelphia, USA
2015 - The Pond of Stars - A New Leaf Gallery, Bryn Mawr, PA, USA
2014 - Present Day Pyramids (group exhibition) - The Crane Arts Center, Philadelphia, USA
2013 - Love Squared - The Finlandia Reflection Gallery, Hancock, MI, USA
