8. Matthew Gilbert

Artist Matthew Gilbert talks about trusting and challenging their impulses, how film informs their process, place in relation to depicting emotion, and much more. Matthew Gilbert (b. 1997, Brooklyn, NY) is a sculptor and fiber artist based in New York’s Hudson Valley. Their pictorial rugs depict an abandoned world that combines medieval architecture with rural American iconography. Tragically fatal scenes highlight the impact of the car-centric infrastructure in the United States. A solitary pick-up truck roves between crumbling fortresses and out of service power lines, searching for life among re-imagined ruins. Highways are carved into mountain ridges as forest fire smoke hangs in the air. A tornado rips through a wind turbine farm, destroying our feeble attempts at sustainable energy. A tree grows through a deserted structure from the Dark Ages only for its limbs to be used for a tire swing. By placing modern symbols within Gothic wreckage, the images collapse the timeline of human history, arguing that we as a species are a mere blip in the lifespan of Earth. Long after we make this planet uninhabitable for our species, nature will continue to evolve and adapt. Using this backdrop, Gilbert explores the isolating implications of living in a country built for motorized vehicles. The cartoonish quality of the work suggests an irreverence to the otherwise catastrophic subject matter, adding a comedic undertone. A warning with a punchline. Matthew’s work: matthewgilbert.xyz Matthew’s Instagram: @matthewgilbart