Grey circles on a white paper squares appeared in the middle of the gallery floor to provoke an intense discussion about the Artist intentions.
Placed on the floor this uniformity was initially quite appealing However I then noticed one of those squares was very different from the rest, it was much smaller. That attracted the attention of some and made me wonder if it related to identity? However, what was symmetric was unsymmetrical, what was similar was also different. The aesthetic perfection was also the aesthetic imperfection. The gaps, the squares and the circles were similar, identical but not exact.
The dialogue was created and questions and opinions started to be raised.
“Can I walk on it...?” The viewer wondered.
“Sure, why not?” Another viewer says in a teasing mode. “There isn't anything saying that you can't do that...!”
It seemed to be a temporary piece in all of its existence, origins and intentions. The disregarded perfection of little squares didn't hold its symmetry for too long.
The settled viewer, who initially asked if she could walk on it, couldn't hold the unsettling feeling for too long and, zap, with her feet on a 90-degree angle disturbed what for some was already disturbing.
I didn’t feel sad after the event, but I am not sure that's the same way that the artist was feeling after this art attack. What happened couldn't be undone and I was wondering about the artwork. We sat in silence for a while and then started commenting on a possibility of this being the case of a site-specific installation. Also references were made to the fact that the artwork was placed on the floor in the middle of the gallery as a form of conditioning the movement of the viewers. That it's a good point, but in my opinion it raises some doubts. Those doubts are based on its form and format. It would be possible to exhibit them in a different place but other considerations would need to be taken into account. Maybe Matthew is being influenced by his extensional studies and didn't make the necessary connections to make this an interesting film or animation?
Apparently what was in the mind of the artist was only a ritual, a process, and a repetition of a drawing. Some professional observations were made about his comments; if that was the case he could have done things in a different way. Suggestions of research were made in this context.
Critique on Matthew Exley Artwork
