by Matt Allison & Matthew Usinowicz
Main Wall & Front Window Installation
“What of the neighbors and the prophets in bars?
What are they saying in the public bazaar?
We are tired of the tune
You must not relent…” – “Inoculated City” by The Clash.
Madrone Art Bar is pleased to announce: Slamdance Cosmopolis, a collaborative exhibit featuring new work by Matt Allison and Matthew Usinowicz. The centerpiece of the show is 12 limited edition posters, each inspired by a track from The Clash’s 1984 album Combat Rock. Reflecting the LP’s timely themes of political critique and social justice.
Created over the course of several months, the posters began as small black and white drawings – 6 initiated by Allison (Side A), 6 initiated by Usinowicz (Side B). The artists then mailed their drawings to the other, and responded by building off what had already been laid to paper. Each was then enlarged on a large format photocopy machine, giving them a grainy, D.I.Y. punk look that’s relevant to both artist’s aesthetic interests, as well as the original source material. Viewed as a whole, the exhibition is a visual conversation between two friends; motivated by the desire to understand their place in the messy conflicts that pervade contemporary city life.
Matt Allison is a collector and (re)arranger of objects. In a culture increasingly driven by immaterial content, he remains dedicated to uncovering the stories contained within stuff. His practice is particularly informed by the odd visual mashups that often come from “DIY” repurposing projects and homegrown interventions. Matt received his BFA from Ringling College of Art and Design in 2004, and his MFA from theUniversity of California, Santa Barbara in 2015.www.mattallisonprojects.com @mattallisonprojects
Matthew Usinowicz is conceptually drawn to social politics and the physical accumulation of stuff, with a specific interest in the relationship between humans and objects, Matthew works in a process-based mode of production using materialism – the physical and psychological elements of materials – to visually communicate. The results are fabricated objects, using an interdisciplinary practice to create; these objects are used as a humorous, allegorical means of telling a story. Matthew lives and works in San Francisco, received his BFA from San Francisco Art Institute, and his MFA from the University of California, Santa Barbara. www.matthewusinowicz.com
@matthew_usinowicz