Matt Gualco is a graduate of the Kansas City Art Institute. We chatted about voyeurism, his interest in technology, sociological empiricism and the role of humor in his work.
Ryan: you have a blog titled “the Collage Department.” What is it all about?
Matt: The Blog is the most appropriate venue for my “direct art.” A lot of my work consists of images taken from my cell phone. The blog serves as a venue for my work to exist alongside of face book.
Ryan: so it is a way to archive your work and interests in a setting that is true to conceptual components?
Matt: Yes. The idea of “the Collage Department” started as a joke when I was in undergrad. Most of my peers where doing collages in the painting department and we thought it would be funny if we started calling the painting department-the collage department. The blog is homage to this joke. I think life is a "social collage" and my “direct art” is a way I can document this. The blog features some of the people who were in on the joke and others I just like, but it mostly is just my work and the work of others who interest me. We are all put together by the "glue" of life, constructed by our circumstances as well as shaped by our social interactions and this is how I document this.
Ryan: Your Face book/Twitter/YouTube series explores this idea of “social collage.” Could you describe your Facebook/Twitter/Youtube portrait series more in length?
Matt: Yes. Recently I have been doing “direct art.” I call it “direct art” because I use my cell phone to directly post art on Face Book and my blog. The work on “Face Book,” exposes the ambiguity of the Internet. I am trying to juxtapose Internet culture and real life. My art exposes the differences between Internet culture and our social culture. The result is a chaotic mess i.e. a “clusterfuck.” I am questioning artificiality versus reality. Interested in the multiplicity of artificial identities that sort of mask real life.
Ryan: Do you think one takes precedence over the other?
Matt: I don’t think so. They are two separate things. I suppose they can overlap each other.
Ryan:In their extremes….
Matt: What is your opinion?
Ryan: I think it has become increasingly challenging to distinguish reality from an artificial existence due to the advent of new technologies and the barrage of social media.
Matt: it comes down to identity and navigation. It is ultimately a questioning process-for example; we have a mass of friends on face book but how many would you say is your actual friends?
Ryan: You have a good point- it is like we are wearing a mask. Your work seems driven by the absurdity of our modern culture, in specifically digital culture. Could your recent images, which are references to the Internet, be looked at as comments upon leisure and privacy?
Matt: Leisure and privacy are two big parts of the Internet, but lets be honest with each other, the "Info web" or Internet can be a dark place most of the time. In one sense, there is no privacy and leisure.
Ryan: I think your work comments upon the invasion of privacy and talks about this so-called "dark place" as a corrupt form of leisure where things can spiral out of control. Technology has appeared to alter our biological urges and we are completely dependent upon technology for some form of salvation or life-support as Donna Haraway has pointed out. What do you think of such social corruption caused by the Internet?
Matt: Social corruption happens every day. It happened before the Internet even existed. I think Elvis did it with his dancing and Fred Phelps did it with his signs before he even had a website.
Ryan: Are you fascinated by our integration with technology?
Matt: To a certain extent yes, but I am more fascinated by society. At the same time, what makes life so interesting is the fact that we never know what we are becoming next.
Ryan: Exactly! This thrill unfortunately dominates our progressive mentality for technological advancement to better our world. Would you say you are a techno-determinist?
Matt: No. Technology is very dangerous. I am afraid that it will reduce us to zombie like states, where we will become dependent upon technology as a form life-support.
Ryan: Technology is dangerous indeed. I recently just heard about how have been instances of computer savvy individuals tapping into users computers and activating computer cameras to spy on others. Speaking of spying and to switch gears a bit, you seem to be entranced by the aspects of the Internet that can be considered voyeuristic. Voyeurism has been a topic of discussion within art for years and of course a big discussion in regards to the history of painting. Your comment upon voyeurism isn't direct. Within your work, we see folks interacting with technology, possibly engaged in the act of voyeurism. The computer screen is the new frame. You also use the cell phone camera as a voyeuristic device. Has the act of voyeurism become a ritual that is socially accepted?
Matt: I would say yes. Acts of voyeurism makes society run even though it is frowned upon.
Ryan: Do you have any influences?
Matt: My Influences are my peers and my social community. I also enjoy Lindsay Lohan with a hint of Daniel Johnston and a side of Albert Hitchcock. To get that down smoothly, I have a glass of Twitter and for desert Baseball!
Ryan: That’s a very eclectic mix of influences.
Your work is very much a "social" collage of cultural references much like your influences-Would you say that you are a cultural connoisseur?
Matt: "Cultural connoisseur?" I know others who know way more than I do about issues of culture, entertainment, baseball, etc. I would say TMZ.com is a "cultural connoisseur.” Some one needs to make "cultural connoisseur" page on Wikipedia stat!
Ryan: Something that is striking about your work is that it is accessible in its language to a target audience. This is why the mergence of entertainment and art within your work is vital. The reason why I say this is because your able to provide this outlet for questioning in a language that is quite clear especially to contemporary youth. You're images are gritty low-resolution images and your word choices are for this target audience because they are acustomed to such images and language…
Matt: My target audience does not really have an age.
Ryan: I just think it is more accessible to younger generations.
Matt: Maybe the age group of 60+ would not understand but perhaps they would ask the "contemporary youth" what is going on. Cultural interaction is for all ages.
Ryan: Could you describe your "word portraits" and "word maps"? Are they illustrations of your thought process?
Matt: Yes. The "word maps" are a literal illustration or exist as a literal illustration of what I think about and connections I make internally which I find to be hilarious. The word portraits on the other hand start from a concept of someone or thing, which I normally relate to someone or something else. Sometimes it is an inside joke (as in the case of Michael Jordan) but it is not closed off from interpretation or understanding.
Ryan: Matt, to close, your work is slapstick and bold. Yet, I think there is a certain level of honesty to some of your comments. What provokes you to create such comments?
People. Life provokes me. The wonder of how it all works together is just amazing and requires a response, an observation. That is what I love about my work- it makes people smile or go wtf? It creates a response-good or bad. Commentary that creates/provokes a response just seems appropriate to me. Some of my comments don’t work. I find it fascinating.
Matt's work will be featured in The “2010 Kansas City Flatfile." The “2010 Kansas City Flatfile,” featuring two-dimensional artwork by Kansas City-based artists in media including drawing, photography, prints and mixed-media works on paper as well as time-based artwork in the “Videofile,” will be on view from June 19 to Sept. 25 at the H&R Block Artspace. The exhibition opens with a reception from 6 to 8 p.m., Friday, June 18. http://www.kcai.edu/hr-block-artspace/exhibitions
visit: http://thecollagedepartment.blogspot.com/2009_02_01_archive.html
