Matthew Angelo Harrison

Adopting the language of industrial design and anthropological aesthetics in sculptural forms, Matthew Angelo Harrison (b. 1989, Detroit) combines references to colonialism, African diasporas, and the industrialization of the U.S. This dialogue is manifest in his materials and processes, as he repurposes or represents culturally loaded objects in resin and metal. His explorations center on notions of history, preservation, and progress, and take the shape of “capsules” that problematize or expand on the nature of the object, its circulation, and cultural significance through time. The artist takes a scientific approach to his practice, with the aim of unveiling complex relations to systems that are present and pervasive in daily life. For his solo exhibition at the SCAD Museum of Art's Evans Center for African American Studies, Harrison presents a group of recent works with direct connections to diasporic identities.