Madrone Art Bar Presents:

Mathew Mcgrath

@mathmcgrath @farallongardens

Saturnine Zydeco: The History of Badminton
April 16th to June 17th 2026

Opening Event: Friday, April 17th, 6-9PM

Bay Area-based artist Mathew McGrath, originally from Verona, New Jersey, initially gravitated towards the 1980s hip-hop, skateboarding, and punk scenes. As a sponsored skateboarder, he embarked on a journey to California, seeking his fortune. In the early 1990s, he found his way to San Francisco and secured a job at Real Skateboards. This opportunity led him to become the first manager and buyer for the newly established Supreme skate shop in New York City. During his time in NYC in the 90s, Mathew immersed himself in the downtown skate scene and credits this experience as formative in shaping his aesthetic and future artistic practice. Returning to San Francisco, he ventured into the world of skateboarding, shooting, directing, and producing some of the iconic skate videos of the 1990s. Subsequently, he became the studio assistant to fellow skateboarder and artist Mark Gonzales in San Francisco’s Tenderloin. “Mark provided me with a space to work in the basement of his studio. For years, I had been collecting ‘garbage’ and discovering objects during my daily travels. It was in this studio environment that he began creating his found object assemblage and collage pieces. Currently, Mr. McGrath designs and installs living works of art under the moniker farallongardens.com.

For this show at Madrone Art Bar, his objective is to ignite a dialogue about consumerism, waste, and our intricate relationship with the everyday, ubiquitous objects that both define and confine us. It was in this very neighborhood of the Western Addition during the mid-1990s that Mathew began collecting discarded objects, trash, and other miscellaneous items to create his found object assemblage pieces. His abstract compositions are designed to evoke a sense of painterly beauty and convey a touch of sympathetic magic. By transforming discarded objects into aesthetically pleasing ones, Mathew challenges the conventional notions of worth and beauty.