While such techniques celebrate the
skills and values of a bygone era,
Day Jackson’s vision of America’s
future isn’t quite so optimistic,
especially when it comes to the
fate of the human race. Many of the
artist’s works are conceived as
artefacts from a brave new future,
such as Alphorn with Quartered
Stand (Horn of Lady Liberty) (2005),
a horn with a mournful wail, for ‘a
With a pioneer’s fervour, Matthew
post-cellphone, post-electricity,
Day Jackson creates work that
post-any-telecommunication world…
tackles America’s historic upheavals
used to assemble armies’. Carved
while also imagining a post-
from a dead tree, the horn is
apocalyptic future with implications
further described by the artist as
for today. his work has referenced
a tool ‘for the next human, which
big events in the country’s past,
will be a product of a catastrophic
from the massacres of Native
situation. It is for fractured
Americans to the Civil and Second
and broken survivors of such a
World wars. Yet throughout his
place. It is both an optimistic
varied practice, mythic icons
expression in that it is for
and symbols blend with a clutch
survivors, but also, pessimistic
of found objects and idiosyncratic
in that the survivors are not us,
references, from the eco-warrior’s
but rather pieces of us combined
Birkenstock sandal, a New Agey
with the fractured leftovers of a
Wiccan ritual (as performed by his
broken world.’
mom), souvenir totem poles and
commemorative coins, all of which
The artist’s recent solo exhibitions
have featured in his sculpture
include The Lower 48, Perry
or videowork.
Rubenstein Gallery, New York (2007);
Diptych, Mario Diacono at Ars
Quirkily mobilising the personal/
Libri, Boston (2007); Paradise Now!
political, he caught artworld
(The Salvage), Workspace: Matthew
attention with large-scale works
Day Jackson, Blanton Museum of Art,
like Sepulcher (2005), a Viking-ship
Austin (2007); and Paradise Now!
sculpture with a sail hand-stitched
(Limbo), Cubitt Artists Space,
from his old punk-band T-shirts and
London (2006). Among his many group
shown at P.S.1’s Greater New York
exhibitions are Americans in New
exhibition; or the Conestoga wagon
York, Galerie Michael Rein, Paris
which rolled up at the 2006 Whitney
(2007); To Build a Fire, Rivington
Biennial covered in a canvas made
Arms, New York (2007); and the 2007
from the flags of the 50 uS states.
Moscow and Athens biennials.
The handmade has been an essential
conduit for the humanistic qualities
WoRk BY MATTheW DAY JACkSoN
of much of Jackson’s oeuvre: works
CAN Be SeeN AT NADA ART FAIR,
are often rendered with folk craft
MIAMI, 5–9 DeCeMBeR, AND IN
techniques, from the woodburning MATTHew DAY JAckSoN AND HuMA
and precious-stone-laying used in BHABHA (PriNTS AND ScuLPTure),
his monumental portrait of a black
PeTeR BLuM, NeW YoRk, uNTIL
woman, Harriet (Last Portrait)
12 JANuARY
(2006), to the braided rope that
adorns the arms of an
anthropomorphic tree-branch
sculpture, Hung, Drawn & Quartered
ii (Treeson) (2005).
Manifesto Back_DEc.indd 60 8/11/07 11:42:04
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