Matt Jones
b 1980, Rochester, NY
Lives & works in New York City
Matt Jones’ paintings, drawings, and artist books are attuned to the overwhelming omnipresence of climate catastrophe, housing crises, and global pandemics, while attentive to the granular, sedimented, aliveness of the everyday. Gathering a visual symbology of local flora and fauna, eyes and hands, ritual and household objects, as well as molecules, viruses, stones, mushrooms, seedlings, and grasses, Jones's work energizes the mythical (medieval illumination and dream visions, rococo art, fables and folklore) by looking again and again at the local, including urban old-growth forests, manufactured municipal greenspaces, and settler-colonial landscape architecture.
Jones attended the Yale University School of Art—Norfolk on an Ellen Battell Stoeckel Grant (2001), received a BFA from Cooper Union (2002), and recently completed an MFA at Hunter College (2021). In 2007 he founded Puppy American, a small independent press which publishes artist books, zines, poetry, and organizes exhibitions, focusing on collaboration. He lives and works in New York City.
Education
Cooper Union. (BFA)
Yale University School of Art—Norfolk. Ellen Battell Stoeckel Grant.
Hunter College. (MFA)
Selected One. Two. and Three Person Exhibitions
2024
In Advance of a Visit. studio e. Seattle, WA.
Ecphoric Wonderland. Automat. Philadelphia. With Heather Drayzen and In June Park. Curated by Whitson Ramsey.
2022
Nowhere Fast. Olympia. New York. With Cassidy Early and Jessi Li.
2018
Time Walk. Galerie Jérôme Pauchant. Paris.
2016
Passion as Model for Patience. Galerie Jérôme Pauchant. Paris. With Quentin Euverte.
2015
Ancestral Recall. Galerie Jérôme Pauchant. Paris. Catalog.
A horrendous assembly. clawing and jerking. all mashed tightly into specks that rest upon the seeing orb. eventually layering as a pearl does into kingdoms of permanent escape. Castor Gallery. New York. With Eric Wiley.
2014
Geister. The Richard Massey Foundation. New York.
Solo Booth. Bodson Gallery. Art Brussels. Brussels. Belgium.
Super Smash Brothers. Creative Time. New York. Performance. With Kadar Brock.
2013
Planetary. Bleecker Street Arts Club. New York.
2012
Evil Dead 2. Horton Gallery. Berlin. Germany. Catalog. With Kadar Brock.
The Dinner Party. Anonymous Gallery. New York. Performance.
2011
Multiverse. Freight + Volume. New York. NY.
Selected Group Exhibitions
2023
Six Stages. Project Art Distribution (P.A.D.). NADA. New York.
Art from the Upper Rooms. Sanctuary. OSA. New York.
2022
The Innerworld of the Outerworld of the Innerworld. Soy Capitan. Berlin.
In with the Old // (Nearly) Six Years of Project Art Distribution. Yeh Art Gallery. St John’s University. Jamaica. NY.
In with the Old // (Nearly) Six Years of Project Art Distribution. Richard and Dolly Maass Gallery, SUNY Purchase, Purchase, NY
Slight of Hand. Mepaintsme. Online.
Shushan’s Hands. Tappeto Volante/Studio Archive Project. New York. Online.
2021
A Gathering. The Catskills. New York.
The Catskills Presents: Heavy Show. Spring Break Art Show. New York. Curated by Leonard Reibstein.
Chromatic Vigils / Low Tides. Upstate Art Weekend. Hudson Opera House. Hudson. New York. Curated by The Sphinx Northeast .
Visions of Kindness. Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center. Moscow. Russia.
2 Gathering. Studio E. Seattle. WA.
Known Unknowns. Studio Archive Project. Online. Curated by mepaintsme.
2020
Assemblage: The MFA Show. The Olympia Project. New York.
Purple. Underdonk. Brooklyn. New York.
Living Room. Galerie Jerome Pauchant. Paris.
Leyline of Abundance. Puppy American. Bronx. New York.
Trust Fall. Hunter MFA Online Viewing Room. (Online)
Gravity Spell. Hunter MFA Thesis exhibition. Hudson Street Gallery. New York.
NYPL2020. Project Art Distribution (P.A.D.) Gallery. New York. NY.
2019
Eat Bloody Pussy: A Community Garden. curated by Fitch ball. Essex Flowers. New York. (performance)
Age Before Beauty. Wallspace. Brooklyn.
No Rules. Mana Contemporary Glass Gallery. Jersey City. NJ.
2017
Hard Hunting. Hunter College. New York.
2016
Geo Necro. ADA Gallery. Richmond. Virginia.
Polychrome. Driscoll Babcock Gallery. New York.
Between You and Me. Geoffrey Young Gallery. Great Barrington.
2015
Art—Les Bains in 2015. Les Bains. Paris. Curated by Jérôme Pauchant
18 Percent. Castor Gallery. New York.
2014
Sha Boogie Bop. Anonymous Gallery. New York.
Cirrus. Dorfman Projects. New York.
Mandala: Locus of Thought. Tibet House. New York.
New/Idols. The Varsity. Brooklyn.
NY/NO. Galleri Geo. Bergen. Norway.
Post-Psychedelic Dreams. Grey East. East Hampton. NY.
Driscoll Babcock. Miami Project. Miami.
2013
Suddenness & Certainty. Robert Miller Gallery. New York. Curated by Robert Greene
Pulse Art Fair. Driscoll Babcock. Miami.
Sweat Baby Sweat. Gildar Gallery. Beverly Hills. CA.
Magic Kingdom. Old School. Spring Break. New York.
The Example. Bleecker Street Art Club. New York.
About Space. The ArtBridge Drawing Room. New York.
Painted Perfect. Anonymous Gallery. Mexico City. Mexico.
Synthesis. Bottleneck Gallery. Brooklyn.
2012
News from Chicago and New York. Fiebach Minninger. Cologne. Organized by Henning Strassburger.
Portrait of a Generation. The Hole. New York.
Powerplay - A Radical Sculpture Park. Hayground. Bridgehampton. NY.
The Usual Suspects. Brooklyn Fireproof. Brooklyn.
Cosmic Architecture. Artists Wanted. Long Island City. New York.
The Final Frontier. The Atlantic Conference. Brooklyn.
casas de empeño. Anonymous Gallery. New York & Mexico City.
2011
.... The Hole. New York.
Between Two Friends. Varet Space. Brooklyn.
NADA. The Hole. Miami. FL.
Control Alt Delete. HKJB. Brooklyn. NY.
Outer Space. Exit Art. New York. NY.
Public Collections
Lever House Art Collection. New York; Phillip Schrager Collection Omaha. NE.
Selected Bibliography
2020
Riley. Benjamin. In the Spotlight: A Conversation with Matt Jones. The Envoy. Interview.
2016
Nirenberg. Michael. Conversation With Painter Matt Jones. Huffington Post. Interview.
2015
Cox. Steven. Hunted Projects. Matt Jones. Interview.
Moustache Magazine. Matt Jones: The Gaming Painter. Interview.
Zimmer. Lori. Art Nerd. New York’s Top Event Picks for the Week.
2014
A Perimiter. Issue One. Summer 2014. Portfolio.
Savdie. Ilana. Tucked In / Art Crush. Interview.
Leading Culture Destinations. Matt Jones. Interview.
Aspen. Aurora. Purple Diary. A Visit to Matt Jones’s Studio.
2013
Bowen. Effie. Interview Magazine.“The Drawing Room is Off the Wall.”
Ross. Cody. Contra. System Overload - Artist Matt Jones.
Martinez. Jamie. Art Fuse. Synthesis at Bottleneck Gallery.
2012
Thomas. BreakThru Radio. Art Uncovered: Matt Jones.
Harrison. Helen. Sag Harbor Express. Eye on Art - The Power of Sculpture. July 25.
Ulrich. Jorge. NY Arts Magazine. 30 Artists to Watch.
Sutphin. Eric. Beard and Brush. Noted: Seeing Stars - The Atlantic Conference Presents: The Final Frontier.
Fitzgerald. Ali. Daily Serving. Evil Dead 2 at Horton Gallery Berlin.
Calandra. Maria. Pencil in the Studio. Matt Jones.
Atkins. Devin Elise. Berlin Art Link. EVIL DEAD 2: Matt Jones and Kadar Brock at Horton Gallery.
Simkover. Rachel. Pigs (Berlin). Evil Dead 2 @ Horton Gallery.
Taylor. Leah. Flavor Pill. Meditating in Space.
2011
Bernstein. Julia. Purple Diary. Matt Jones at the Hole.
Finch. Charlie. Art Net. Drink Your Lola Cola.
Ross. Cody. i-D. Party in the city where the heat is on” & “Welcome to Miami Part II.
Russeth. Andrew. 16 Miles of String. “Control Alt Delete”: A One-Night HKJB Show in Bushwick. Sutphin. Eric. Beard and Brush. Review: Matt Jones Multiverse at Freight + Volume.
Sutphin. Eric. Artcritical. Punk Rock Nirvana: Matt Jones’ Multiverse.
Locascio. Monica. Paper Magazine. Word Up! Last Call Gallery Hop!
Nalley. JD. Leaves of Glass. Multiverse: In the Plywood Forest of Matt Jones.
Dicker. Geoffrey. According2g. “Matt Jones: Multiverse.”
Visiting Artist and Talks
2020
Artist Talk—Drawing During the Pandemic. Professor Mark Thomas Gibson. Tyler School of Art and Architecture. Philadelphia. PA.
Artist Talk—Drawing During the Pandemic. Professor Laura Frantz. Hunter College. New York. NY.
Studio Visit—ISCP Young Patrons. New York. NY.
2016
Artist Talk. Matt Jones—Abstraction. Professor Anna Kell. Bucknell University. Lewisburg. PA.
2014
Artist Talk and Studio Visits—Professor Mark Thomas Gibson. Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art. New York. NY.
2013
Matt Jones in conversation with Lucianne Walkowicz. Bleecker Street Arts Club. New York.