Matthew
Ritchie
works
biography
bibliography
Previous shows:
Matthew Ritchie – The Need-fire, 2009
Matthew Ritchie – After The
Father Costume, 2003
Matthew Ritchie
The Need-fire
Installation view, c/o – Gerhardsen Gerner, 2009
Installation view, c/o – Gerhardsen Gerner, 2009
Installation view, c/o – Gerhardsen Gerner, 2009
Installation view, c/o – Gerhardsen Gerner, 2009
Installation view, c/o – Gerhardsen Gerner, 2009
Installation view, c/o – Gerhardsen Gerner, 2009
The Four Forces (The Weak Force), 2008
Oil and marker on linen, 223.5 x 195.5 cm (88 x 77 in)
The Four Forces (The Light Force), 2008
Oil and marker on linen, 223.5 x 195.5 cm (88 x 77 in)
The Four Forces (The Heavy Force), 2008
Oil and marker on linen 223.5 x 195.5 cm (88 x 77 in)
The Four Forces (The Strong Force), 2008
Oil and marker on linen, 223.5 x 195.5 cm (88 x 77 in)
Elector Jorma I, 2005
Ink on denril, 30 x 23 cm
Scattering III, 2009
Ink on Denril, Sheet: 27,9 x 35,6 cm (11 x 14 in)
Scattering II, 2009
Ink on Denril, Sheet: 35,6 x 27,9 cm (14 x 11 in)
Scattering IV, 2009
Ink on Denril, Sheet: 35,6 x 27,9 cm (14 x 11 in)
Scattering I, 2009
Ink on Denril, Sheet: 22,9 x 30,5 cm (9 x 12 in)
Elector Katharina VII, 2005
Ink on denril, 30 x 23 cm
Press release
Matthew Ritchie
The Need-fire
Opening reception: May 1, 2009, 7–9 pm
Exhibition duration: May 1–July, 2009
It is a great pleasure to announce a new exhibition with Matthew Ritchie on
the occasion of the fourth Berlin Gallery Weekend at c/o – Gerhardsen
Gerner (formerly known as
c/o – Atle Gerhardsen).
The tradition of the Need-Fire (or Wild-Fire, such as the Midsummer’s
Eve bonfire) dates back to the 8th century. In this custom the beginning of
spring or summer is marked by building a great bonfire to clear the air of
contaminating spirits.
With “The Need-fire” Matthew Ritchie will be presenting four large
paintings, a collection of drawings as well as a multimedia installation and
sculpture.
The four paintings in the series “The Four Forces” not only form
a unity through the mythical tradition of numerology ; they are also thematically
linked. They embody the four fundamental energies of the universe: “the
light force, the heavy force (gravity), the strong force & the weak force”.
The four energies reveal a parallel to the various states in the antique theory
of four humors, in which the health of the human relies on the four bodily
fluids being in harmonic balance. If one of the substances is unbalanced,
it results in a shift of humor, which in turn also influences the state of
mind. However there remains the possibility to restore the ideal balance of
humors in the body – in theory at least – by, for example, building
a cleansing spring fire.
The theme of cleansing and rediscovery is also taken up in the multimedia
installation in the small gallery space, which alters the architecture of
the place. A sculptural screen creates the opening towards the front, on which
and through which a video work is projected showing the cyclical birth, construction
and collapse of a civilization, accompanied by spoken narrative and music
composed by Bryce Dessner and Evan Ziporyn.
Matthew Ritchie says about his work: "In other words, for me, the
original idea that any sufficiently complex system would acquire its own internal
meaning [...] has mutated into an omnivorous visualization system constantly
generating multiple meanings. This system is not really being generated by
me; it is a story by, for, and about everyone and everything. And so [...]
my project has taken on an internal life. It has escaped." (The
artist in an interview with Thyrza Nichols Goodeve).
Since the 1990s Matthew Ritchie has been creating his own fictitious world
order in both his artistic and literary work. The artist's work is concerned
with the unfathomable breadth of the universe and our various attempts to
understand the things that are beyond our grasp. At the core of his work is
"information" as a kind of raw data, from which the works develop,
and are later charted and measured in diagrams according to their own systems
of colour, lines, material and light.
Ritchie takes recourse to science, history, philosophy, economy, the great
mythologies from across the globe, religious traditions as well as gleaning
from popular culture. His works and installations can be seen as part of his
cosmology, as part of a Gesamtkunstwerk, spanning the limits of any particular
medium, becoming trans-medial due to its sheer complexity.
Matthew Ritchie was born in 1964 in England and currently lives and works
in New York City. This is his fourth solo exhibition with Atle Gerhardsen
and Nicolai Gerner-Mathisen.
Further exhibitions and projects in 2009:
The Morning Line, CAAC, Sevilla (solo)
International Biennial of Contemporary Art of Seville, Sevilla (October 2–January
11, 2009; group)
The Kaleidoscopic Eye, Mori Art Museum, Tokyo (April 5–June 26, 2009;
group)
Compass in Hand: Selections from The Judith Rothschild Foundation Contemporary
Drawings Collection, MoMA, New York (April 22, 2009–July 27, 2009; group)
Between Art and Life, SFMoMA, San Francisco (May 10, 2009–January 3,
2010; group)
Hypermusic Prologue; Centre Pompidou, Paris, in collaboration with Harvard
physicist Lisa Randall and composer Hector Parra (opening June 14, 2009; performance)
The Last Scattering, Arup AGU, London (June 2009; solo)
Automatic Cities: The Architectural Imaginary in Contemporary Art, Museum
of Contemporary Art San Diego, San Diego (October 10, 2009–January 31,
2010; group)
The Long Count, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Brooklyn (October 28–31,
2009; performance)
Andrea Rosen Gallery, New York (forthcoming; solo)
Confines, IVAM, Valencia (forthcoming 2009)
----------------------------------
Matthew Ritchie
The Need-fire
Eröffnung: 1. Mai 2009, 19–21 Uhr
Ausstellungsdauer: 1. Mai–Juli 2009
Es ist uns eine große Freude, eine neue Ausstellung mit Matthew Ritchie
bei c/o – Gerhardsen Gerner (ehemals c/o – Atle Gerhardsen) anlässlich
des vierten Berliner Galerienwochenendes ankündigen zu können.
Die Tradition der „Notfeuer“ (z.B. Johannisfeuer) reicht bis ins
8. Jahrhundert zurück. Mit diesem Brauch werden alljährlich zu Beginn
des Frühjahrs bzw. Sommers große Feuer entzündet, um die Luft
von schlechten Geistern zu reinigen.
Mit „The Need-fire“ präsentiert Matthew Ritchie in unseren
Galerieräumen vier großformatige Malereien, eine Auswahl an Zeichnungen
sowie eine multimediale Installation und Skulptur.
Die vier Gemälde der Serie „The Four Forces“ bilden nicht
nur durch die Mythologie der Zahlen , sondern auch thematisch eine Einheit.
Sie verkörpern die vier elementaren Energien des Universums: „the
light force, the heavy force, the strong force & the weak force.“
Die vier Energien eröffnen eine Parallele zu den vier unterschiedlichen
Zuständen der antiken Viersäftelehre, wonach das Gleichgewicht des
menschlichen Körpers nur durch das harmonische Zusammenspiel von vier
Körpersäften gegeben ist. Befindet sich einer dieser Säfte
im Ungleichgewicht, zeigt sich das durch eine Gemütsverschiebung –
es erfolgt eine Übertragung auf die seelische Verfassung. Jedoch bestünde
die Möglichkeit, zum Beispiel durch ein reinigendes Frühlingsfeuer
dieses Ideal des körperlichen Gleichgewichts – zumindest theoretisch
– wiederzufinden.
Das Thema der Reinigung und Neuerfindung greift auch die multimediale Installation
im kleinen Galerieraum auf, die in die Architektur des Ortes verändert.
Ein skulpturaler Bildschirm schafft den Durchbruch nach vorne, auf und durch
ihn hindurch ist eine Videoarbeit projiziert. Diese Videoanimation zeigt zyklisch
Entstehung, Aufbau und Zusammenbruch einer Zivilisation, begleitet von Erzählung
und Musik, welche von Bryce Dessner und Evan Ziporyn komponiert wurde.
Matthew Ritchie sagt über sein Werk: “In other words, for me,
the original idea that any sufficiently complex system would acquire its own
internal meaning [...] has mutated into an omnivorous visualization system
constantly generating multiple meanings. This system is not really being generated
by me; it is a story by, for, and about everyone and everything. And so [...]
my project has taken on an internal life. It has escaped.“ (Der
Künstler in einem Interview mit Thyrza Nichols Goodeve).
Seit den 1990er Jahren schafft Matthew Ritchie in seiner künstlerischen
sowie schriftstellerischen Arbeit ein eigenes fiktives Weltgefüge. Das
Werk des Künstlers setzt sich mit der unermesslichen Weite des Universums
und unseren unterschiedlichen Versuchen, die Dinge, die sich jenseits unserer
Erkenntnis befinden, zu begreifen. Das Kernstück seiner Kunst ist „Information“
als eine Art Rohmaterial, aus dem sich die Arbeiten entwickeln, diese wiederum
kartographiert und in Diagramme übertragen in eigenen Systemen aus Farbe,
Linie, Material und Licht.
Ritchie nimmt Rekurs auf Wissenschaft, Geschichte, Philosophie, Wirtschaft,
die großen Mythologien der Welt und Religionen ebenso wie Trivialkultur,
und seine Gemälde, Zeichnungen und Installationen sind als Teile seiner
Kosmologie zu sehen. Matthew Ritchies Werk versteht sich als Gesamtkunstwerk,
das in seiner Komplexität medienübergreifend vorgeht.
Matthew Ritchie wurde 1964 in England geboren und lebt und arbeitet heute
in New York City. Es handelt sich um die vierte Einzelausstellung des Künstlers
mit Atle Gerhardsen und Nicolai Gerner-Mathisen.
Weitere Ausstellungen und Projekte 2009:
The Morning Line, CAAC, Sevilla (solo)
International Biennial of Contemporary Art of Seville, Sevilla (October 2–January
11, 2009; group)
The Kaleidoscopic Eye, Mori Art Museum, Tokyo (April 5–June 26, 2009;
group)
Compass in Hand: Selections from The Judith Rothschild Foundation Contemporary
Drawings Collection, MoMA, New York (April 22, 2009–July 27, 2009; group)
Between Art and Life, SFMoMA, San Francisco (May 10, 2009–January 3,
2010; group)
Hypermusic Prologue; Centre Pompidou, Paris, in collaboration with Harvard
physicist Lisa Randall and composer Hector Parra (opening June 14, 2009; performance)
The Last Scattering, Arup AGU, London (June 2009; solo)
Automatic Cities: The Architectural Imaginary in Contemporary Art, Museum
of Contemporary Art San Diego, San Diego (October 10, 2009–January 31,
2010; group)
The Long Count, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Brooklyn (October 28–31,
2009; performance)
Andrea Rosen Gallery, New York (forthcoming; solo)
Confines, IVAM, Valencia (forthcoming 2009)
thew Ritchie