Art: Brooklyn-based Matthew Craven's huge, tantalising totemistic works

Date
11 June 2013

Over the years New York-based artist Matthew Craven has proved adept at refining and refocussing his practice. There’s a consistent DNA throughout his portfolio – an obsession with shape and colour and pattern and a taste for visually remixing figures and objects in his own particular style, but it’s his giant ink on paper creations that really stand out for me. Part of his cavalry SCARS series, these pieces measure six feet by four feet and are covered in totemistic marks, recurring motifs and cut-outs – they draw you in and dare you not to try and read them, our poor brains desperately struggling to make out some meaning from the madness.

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Matthew Craven: Life Totem I

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Matthew Craven: Life Totem II

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Matthew Craven: Death Hysterical

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About the Author

Rob Alderson

Rob joined It’s Nice That as Online Editor in July 2011 before becoming Editor-in-Chief and working across all editorial projects including itsnicethat.com, Printed Pages, Here and Nicer Tuesdays. Rob left It’s Nice That in June 2015.

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