January 26 - February 18, 2018
Megan Mattax – "pər'peCHə, wāt"
Mixed Media
Helena Davis Gallery
Opening Reception for the Artists
Fourth Friday, January 26, 2018
7:00-10:00 pm
Free and Open to the Public
Closing Artist Talk
Sunday, February 18, 2018
2:00 pm
Free and Open to the Public
Artist Statement
I am interested in knowledge. Specifically, how information is passed from one generation to the next. I use book-like forms created from discarded dictionaries as metaphor for the conduit of knowledge transference. These structures are shaped and transformed through the powerful and destructive elements of fire, water, and air. Construction and destruction of the pieces emphasize the brevity of their existence in an ever growing digital world. The amber-like preservation of the forms embody a new generation's view of our archaic forms of knowledge.
The term "Perpetuate" means to preserve something of value from oblivion or extinction. The idea of perpetuation is a common thread running through this body of work. Although the books are destroyed and no longer functional they are in fact preserved in a transparent shroud of epoxy-resin that solicits an up close and intimate interaction with the forms that would otherwise be forgotten.
More at www.MLMattax.com
Process
My work is created by individually binding, staining, burning and shaping pages from discarded dictionaries. The pieces are shaped using fire, water and air, before being submerged in epoxy-resin in order to preserve the delicate form.
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