Somewhere, Something, Sometime.

Matt Trahan

March 22 to April 27, 2024

My work explores the possibilities and outcomes of cumulative mark-making as well as the accidental beauty of found objects, detritus and chance. The slow accumulation of marks—which is a common thread among the majority of my work on paper—transforms a drawing from an image into an object that, while flat, functions on a separate plane to the semiological archetype of “drawing.” The time invested in each piece imbues the work with a kind of humanity and the arduous, labour-intensive process returns my focus to the immediate present. In many ways, the work is a meditation on time and a conscious attempt to create something that doesn’t participate in our everyday, utilitarian system of meaning and purpose.

Seven Theses that have informed my work:

1. A line is a hypothetical proposition.

2. Choice is how we establish value and create meaning.

3. There is a fundamentally human aspect to art production that lies in our ability to make arbitrary decisions.

4. “Drawing” is a better verb than a noun.

5. There is a fine line between art and garbage.

6. We are all filling up time.

7. Objects do not have inherent value. 

Matt Trahan holds a BFA from the University of Western Ontario (2009) and an MFA from the University of Victoria (2012). In 2019, he opened an independent art gallery in Victoria called Empty Gallery, which held 13 solo exhibitions by various emerging and mid-career artists from across Canada before closing in 2021 due to the pandemic. He currently lives and works in Victoria.