If

New work by Matthew Bourbon
August 27-October 1, 2016
Opening reception Saturday, August 27 from 6:00-8:00 pm
Artist will be in attendance

Kirk Hopper Fine Art is excited to announce our first solo exhibition for artist Matthew Bourbon, titled If. Bourbon's paintings sit in an uncomfortable limbo between heady ideas and dumb form. "How to paint the things of life is a chronic issue that seems somehow relevant with how to actually be in the world," Matthew states. He is after a kind of painting that is filled with all the contradictions one sees in everyday life.

Bourbon's paintings exploit color and narrative, stirring convoluted memories that allow the viewer to compose moot stories. Skepticism is the bedrock of his relationship to art. For the organization of this show the artist thought of creating and bringing work together, less to "say" one large thing, but rather like the range of songs on an old-fashioned music album. Each painting he makes is a thing in and of itself and also shares company with the others. He wants his art to embody a mystery of intent. "I am assembling several puzzles without the comfort of a simple key or a concise guide," he states. Bourbon intends the paintings to push us back on ourselves, so we are left to reconcile what we see in the paintings with our own personal histories and experience. That's not to say there is no direction in his work—it is just found in some strange combination of his interests and the ebb and flow of the painting process.

Matthew Bourbon is an artist and writer. Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, Bourbon earned separate undergraduate degrees in Studio Art and Art History from the University of California at Davis. Relocating to New York City, Bourbon earned his Masters of Fine Arts degree from the School of Visual Arts. Since then, his art has been exhibited nationally and internationally.