[BLOG POST 10/15/23] Recently I went to the Turner Carroll [CONTAINER] gallery in Santa Fe for an exhibit titled "Becoming Light" about the deceased co-founder of Meow Wolf, Matt King.
Before visiting I didn't know much about the exhibit or about Matt King but I am a fan of Meow-Wolf in Santa Fe. If you haven't been to Meow Wolf it's hard to describe other than to say it's a collection of different artists' visions in every possible medium wrapped around a multi-dimensional storyline with a deep mystery that's almost impossible to solve. I love it!
Creating it was an act of passion and belief that has been well documented in a short film titled "Meow Wolf: Origin Story"
I've been to Santa Fe's Meow Wolf several times and each time I'm astounded by the explosion of creative vision and talent.
When I heard about this exhibit at the [CONTAINER] I decided to check it out. From the photos it looked brightly colorful and chaotic. Not exactly my cup of tea but what the heck.
Once I arrived I found the artwork bright, colorful, abstract with a chaotic feeling and, at first, not appealing. But then I read about Matt, his struggle with mental illness, his suicide at age 37, his love of neon, and his circle of close friends who helped bring this exhibit to life and I suddenly felt a sense of sadness and grief mingled with love among all the glitter and neon.
As I wandered through the exhibit I was impressed with Matt's expressive range - mixed into all the impulsive, intuitive, bright abstract pieces like this:
were soft, expressive, almost calm pieces like this:
There were also several installations of trash (literally items removed from a dump) covered in glitter, a statue of Michelangelo's David breaking apart with neon lights inside, and a chair covered in odd bits of household items. All of which were created by Matt's friends in his memory and mimicking his style and vision.
And at the very end there was a recreation of a corner from his studio complete with partially squeezed paint tubes, paint brushes, a record player, and scribbles on the wall. It was haunting – as I looked at the items I knew they had only been touched by Matt and his loved ones and would never be used again.
As I walked out I realized that through Matt's art, and the art created for his memory by his friends, I felt like I had gotten to know him a little.
What a gift!
And what a great reason to put aside your art likes and dislikes and just GO SEE ART LIVE!
