Since the early 2000s, Matt Leines has produced a steady flow of fine art to delight and confound viewers – drawings and paintings rich in colour and detail – exploring the kaleidoscope of memory and outer zones of imagination. He possesses a workmanlike approach to symbolism and surrealism, the poet’s ability to realise longed-for images and a passion for theatrical sports. Perspective is subservient to unique modernist iconography; his characters operate in a kind of abstract epic or post-Columbian codex that blurs pure myth and daily life. Observant, vibrant, obsessively intricate and rippling with gnostic strength and humour, Leines’ output reflects the 80s pop culture of his New Jersey youth, highlights from the modern art playbook and a global range of graphic influences.
28 pages, 25.5 x 19.5cm, softcover, Nieves (Zurich)