MATTHEW COUPER & ALIOS PRESENT:
‘SKINS & TEETH’
A ONE-NIGHT PREVIEW AND PUBLICATION LAUNCH
Thursday, September 13th, 2012, 6.00PM
- 9.00PM
ALIOS, 1217 S. Main Street, Las Vegas, NV 89104, USA
Downtown Las Vegas-based
artist Matthew Couper will be presenting new artworks at ALIOS before traveling
to Australia, New Zealand and Spain for upcoming solo and group exhibitions. The
‘one-night only preview’ will present 14 unstretched oil paintings on canvas, a similar number of
corresponding incised scrimshaw teeth and a Biombo
maquette.
The title of the preview references the hanging, distressed canvases that Couper sends unstretched for ease of transportation to various galleries that represent his art. The teeth refer to the scrimshandered whales’ teeth which feature similar symbolism to the large paintings. Couper continues his anachronistic adaptation of Spanish Colonial painting to present issues of survival as an artist, art as historical currency and reactions to his new home of Las Vegas.
The title of the preview references the hanging, distressed canvases that Couper sends unstretched for ease of transportation to various galleries that represent his art. The teeth refer to the scrimshandered whales’ teeth which feature similar symbolism to the large paintings. Couper continues his anachronistic adaptation of Spanish Colonial painting to present issues of survival as an artist, art as historical currency and reactions to his new home of Las Vegas.
“I’ve been wanting to present the paintings and scrimshaw teeth to
friends and interested parties in Las Vegas because the primary motivation for
the works now come from here in Las Vegas and the machinations of the Strip - this
amazing humanist construct in the middle of a harsh, arid desert. These new
paintings provide a conduit between my status as a ‘new arrival’ and my
dissection of Las Vegas as an unique place to make art” says Couper.
Viewers familiar with Couper’s art practice will be able to see corresponding paintings and scrimshaw en masse relating to recent performances such as the 2012 London Biennale in Nevada and paintings exhibited at the Contemporary Arts Center, Winchester Cultural Center, Blackbird Studios, ATM in Las Vegas, and Pop Up Art House in Henderson.
Because the artworks in
the preview are ear-marked for exhibitions elsewhere, Couper’s new publication Thirty-Three will be available to
purchase. The full-color, 80-page catalog accompanies his current traveling
exhibition in New Zealand, with an essay by anthropologist and author Dr. Peter
J. Howland.
CONTACT:
Matthew Couper, info@mattcouper.com. Phone: (510) 936-4052
For more information on the artist, upcoming events and video footage:
Matthew Couper, info@mattcouper.com. Phone: (510) 936-4052
For more information on the artist, upcoming events and video footage:
Location:
http://www.alios.com
CALENDAR EDITORS:
Date: 9/13/12
Time: 6:00PM-9:00PM
What: ‘SKINS & TEETH’ -a one-night preview and publication launch. Artworks by Matthew Couper
Date: 9/13/12
Time: 6:00PM-9:00PM
What: ‘SKINS & TEETH’ -a one-night preview and publication launch. Artworks by Matthew Couper
Where: ALIOS, 1217 S. Main Street, Las
Vegas, NV 89104, USA
Tickets: Free, publication ‘Thirty-Three’ available for purchase
Tickets: Free, publication ‘Thirty-Three’ available for purchase
