BABYLON

MATTHEW TIERNEY

“Perspective is a frozen moment. That’s what you’re shattering” - David Hockney

“Happiness can be found in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.” - J. K. Rowling

After filming light sources (fluorescents, halogens, neons, LEDs, etc.) for over four years, Matthew began collaging the source material to create the abstractions and backgrounds for “Babylon,” a two-channel video installation (w/ sound) aimed at creating a sobering yet positive view of the contemporary American landscape.Addressing social issues, technology, politics, and popular culture, the found footage in “Babylon” is placed within colorful and livened backgrounds. To utilize the source material, Matthew filmed television screens, iPhones, and iPads and then reprojected the moving images, reiterating transfer process from screen to film to screen.The video installation and accompanying stills, as he puts, “are simply a projection of light.” And thusly, from a source of love.To set the tone of “Babylon,” Matthew also remixed David Gray’s 1999 song of the same name, adding his own vocals, sound design, drum patterning and synthesizers. In these often dark, unfamiliar, and rapidly changing times, Matthew hopes that we may see the light within his video, and amongst the abstract stills so as to always remember: That life is strange, surreal, and ever beautiful. Too, that our contemporary landscape can be positive and exceptional if we may live in light and love.

 Born and raised in Silicon Valley, Matthew Tierney studied UCLA’s School of Theater, Film, and Television, where he created the sound and art installation December in McGowan Hall and composed the score for the short film Bitter Sweet. While a student, Matt worked at Current TV as the youngest features producer in the network’s history. Currently Matt works in the mediums of painting and sculpture, as well as music and sound design, collaborating with artists like Black Gatsby on recent records. Several of his works were included in the Smithsonian’s Renwick Gallery Tour (2014, 2015). Since 2015 he’s served as a branding and design consultant for technology start-ups MindSumo, Daisy, and Globally.Matt’s art has recently been seen alongside Ed Ruscha, Robert Mapplethorpe, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Andy Warhol in the traveling museum exhibition, Joan Quinn: A Life in Portraits, which included shows at the Fresno Art Museum and the Cornell Art Museum. As part of the exhibition, Matt spoke at Sotheby’s Auction House (NYC) alongside Joan Quinn.

In 2017, he was featured in the group exhibition Blah Blossom, alongside artists George Condo, Jeff Koons, Franz Kline, Francesco Clemente, Eric Fishl and Adolf Braun. Matt had his first solo show with Bryant Toth Fine Art at the former CRG Gallery space in NYC (October 2017), followed by a sold-out solo exhibition in San Francisco: Block Chain Migrate. TOTH GALLERY is please to exhibition a new body of work for Matthew’s third solo exhibition; BABYLON !

His work can be found in the homes and studios of such artists and collectors as Maya Lin and Daniel Wolf, Norman Rosenthal, the Gunderson Family, David Hockney, the Hyatt Family, and Keith Sonnier.