Matthew Angelo Harrison
For Counterpublic 2023, Harrison’s sculptures nest alongside the dense historic collection of the George B. Vashon Museum of African American History, a house museum founded by Executive Director Calvin Riley that is dedicated to Black material culture and tells the history of prominent St. Louisans and Black experience. Situated within a historical framework designed by Riley, the Vashon’s collection creates a rich dialogue with Harrison’s inquiries into authorship, ownership, and presentation while making meaningful connections with Black history through material culture.
PROGRAM INFO
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Matthew Angelo Harrison investigates analog and digital technologies to make connections between labor, technology, the legacies of colonialism and capitalism, and African and African American culture. Harrison’s sculptures often include found objects, including traditional African figurines from the Bambara, Dogon, Makonde, and Senufo tribes, embedded into resin that has been imprinted with shapes evocative of machines and assembly lines. Harrison’s vitrine-like sculptures are created from a CNC machine the artist built himself. The sleek surfaces of the sculptures create a dialogue with museum display, the assembly line, industrial design, and minimalism.
ARTISTS LINKS
Artsy: artsy.net/artist/matthew-angelo-harrison
Website: jessicasilvermangallery.com/matthew-angelo-harrison/selected-works
