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MATTHEW VAREY
By John Deal
View Magazine
April 10 - 16, 2003
Blueprints of the Universe
Through April 27
Opening reception: April 4, 7–10pm
transit gallery
Matthew Varey returns to Hamilton after many trips abroad for an exclusive exhibition at the Transit Gallery called Blueprints of the Universe. After graduating from McMaster with his Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts, Varey pursued a variety of avenues and eventually found himself teaching in Greece. Living in Europe gave Varey a chance to become familiar with the international arts community and began to learn how to strategize himself within the global art market; a plan of action which is invaluable to an artist today. This cultural and mental shift for Varey offered an opportunity for him to reflect upon his position in the art world; a course Varey feels should be mandatory for all aspiring artists. Prior to his present body of work, Varey was involved in protest or statement based art. With a philosophical foundation in environmental concerns, Varey produced work that was appropriately regional and mirrored the political concerns of the time. Time spent abroad afforded Varey the opportunity to remove himself from the politics of a specific region and refocus his attention upon the art. Due to its narrative content and the trappings of making weighted political statements, Varey’s interests shifted and became embedded within the material of the art objects that he was creating. Varey found a wealth of opportunity with the materials he had available to him. Through play and experimentation Varey explored the potential of his materials and developed a process unique unto him and his art. Not necessarily adopting modernism’s ‘art for art’s sake’ motto but, seriously investigating the process of creation and the possibilities of the materials, Varey recently focuses upon fabricating beautiful and self-reflexive art objects. Varey exposes patterns and expressions of nature’s rules of organization similar to the Fibonacci sequence or the Golden Section. One can find similarities between the forms developed by Varey and those found in cellular patterns, interstellar gases or a coral reef. Although the images result from chemical reactions, Varey’s hand is not completely without influence. With the hues chosen and some control over drying time Varey is able to alter and compose the work according to his aesthetic interests. A balance between choice and chance places Varey in an intuitive position having to use his expertise to guide the work. Before his eyes an intricately phenomenal exposition of nature’s sublime power is played out. Varey introduces his own particular signature and creates an object that incorporates his own voice with the dynamics of the Universe.
There’s nothing ornate or gaudy about Varey’s work. The ornamental aspects of these blueprints of the Universe focus upon the beauty intrinsic to the material itself. There is a luminescent magnificence captured within this work that scintillates and captivates the eye like a magpie to shiny things. These pieces although similarly produced are unique unto themselves. In some ways formulaic yet, in others quite erratic, there is a silence as one stare into the paint. There is a preverbal distance with this work; an unspeakable quality that leaves you satiated but, hungry for more. Unlike much contemporary art that mimics recognizable and popular images, Varey creates authentic works of art that have no precursor. Technology has affected the development of aesthetics and has exposed itself in many varied manners; standardized colours, new mediums and new tools have pushed the boundaries of traditional conventions. Varey is using the advances of technology to progress and expand the reach of visual media in exciting and vibrant ways. Coming from an artist whose work previously attempted to point out the misgivings and trials of life, Varey’s exhibition casts a beam of hope and beauty, charming and enchanting the viewer into appreciating finer expressions of life’s mysteries.
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