Artist's statement

I am inspired by the mystery around us and within us. As humans we are a small but integral part of the whole. I communicate a message through my work, as it is not art for the sake of art, but rather an intersection of the observer and the observed, -a curious interaction that is constantly changing. Through this process, I share my observations on specific concepts and truths that I believe to be largely ignored by mainstream society, or are yet unresolved in my own being.

Life is not a glossy magazine, a prepackaged commodity, or a “reality” show on TV, but often I feel like that is how life is expected to be experienced in our culture. I use my work to understand this tendency, and my resistance to this powerful current evolves, little by little, through my art. While commercialism, indoctrination, marginalization, and the exploitation of human and natural resources are widespread on this planet, they are in fact being exposed and diminished by a greater observation: humans have always known how to live sustainable manner, how to relate to one another, how develop spiritually, and how to express themselves, there have just been major diversions, difficulties, and conditioning along the way. This has led humans into some systems that do not work for the benefit of life. We are now in the process of returning to the fundamentals of life, the ecological unconscious of our existence, with unknown yet exciting outcomes. The process is tough, and requires an acceptance of, -and learning from- the failures and ugly parts. The work you see here helps me along this road.

I use a wide variety of media to fuse vision, concept, and emotion with the physical realm. This choice of using whatever is at hand helps to practice the spontaneity and resourcefulness that I believe is essential to happy living, to true freedom. I do favor using found objects because of the energy they contain. They simply have certain qualities that cannot be bought from a store. In fact, finding the objects themselves, in an unstructured and unpremeditated fashion, becomes part of my expression. I also use recycled materials, packaging, and advertisements because of the sometimes other-worldly, almost alien qualities they can have, as they are from the hyper-commercialized, spiritually deficient realm of materialism and mass-consumption, a.k.a “Mall-Wart world”.

The content of my work is released from many experiences. Some are heavily influenced by my unconscious, through remembered dreams or otherwise. Shamanism and shamanic tools are of great interest to me are an influence for my work. Childhood concepts are sometimes expressed through my art. Environments made by or for the selling of human labor have a large influence, especially some areas involving heavy industry where I have been employed. Also, intertwined in my work are elements of the cosmos, spiritual experiences, sacred geometry, and symbolism. I see the world turning towards the divine, self-knowledge, and the need for community, -more than ever.

Perhaps this spiritual unfolding for me is driven by yet another influence for my work, and it is, undeniably, my personal defects of character. Yes, the shortcomings and social ills of our time are common, and my work helps me to discover that we all play a part in fueling them with a self-will run riot, a lack of honesty, or a displaced responsibility. The oppressive atmosphere of endless war, undemocratic corporate control, religious supremacy, and economic inequality is partly to blame, while definitely making it difficult to remedy social ills despite the causes. Perhaps art is a therapy for me to deal with this tension, and share some of the truths I uncover.
Matthew Lyon Clark – Artist

Are the observer and the observed one in the same?
Let me know what you think: send me a message