Moments of Solace II
Matthew Cooper’s artwork is equal parts creation and destruction. His process begins from within, as he travels to far-reaching, vulnerable places within his memories from childhood and life and examines them on canvas. The tedious, physical act of building up his paintings with layers of collected materials, like paper and cardboard, as well as paint mimics the emotional work he experiences as he is creating. What he has previously tried to distract himself from or avoid in life, he is confronted with on the canvas. Each artwork is a discovery in which he hopes to unearth personal truths that also speak to the heart of human experience and vulnerability.
“As my work is never completely done, I often repurpose old canvases to carve away something new from them - which is evident in the layers of paint and materials that are ripped away to reveal more “raw” bits of canvas. I spend a lot of time in the studio delving into my family history and peeling back the layers of trauma to heal long neglected parts of myself; parts that I was told by society were off-limits; feelings I wasn’t allowed to feel as a young Black man growing up. I seek to shine a light on those intricacies of the Black experience I have encountered while exposing and speaking to universal truths and struggles we all face as humans.”
- Artist: Matthew Cooper
- Installation: December 2021 - April 2022
- Location: Concourse B
About the Artist: Matthew Cooper is an emerging artist specializing in mixed media paintings. He received his ALA from Vincennes University in 2012 and attended IUPUI’s (Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis) Herron School of Art & Design where he studied drawing and minored in Africana Studies. From exhibiting in galleries during his early career, to being commissioned to paint murals around Indianapolis, and becoming an Art & Soul featured artist with the Indy Arts Council, Matthew is leaving his mark on his hometown. His studio is downtown in the Circle City Industrial Complex.