Matthew Pawlowski

My art practice reflects on gay culture and the evolving way the queer community interprets (and re-interprets) its identity. I center my practice around needlework as a meditative exploration of queer culture and as a visual medium to reconsider gay symbolism, history, and representation. Focusing on an ethereal intersection where gay culture and a larger cultural mind set meet, I am interested in the conflict between acceptance and “otherness.”

In previous centuries, needlework has been used as a tool for pictorial mourning and representation of loss. In our digital age, the internet allows individuals and tribes to construct their history. We curate and mold digital expressions of individual or group experiences within the larger cultural cache and mourn there, too. My work is influenced by the echoes of queer culture milestones (HIV/AIDS, activism, the absorption of queerness into mainstream culture) that ricochet within our embrace of the digital present.

Text has become more prevalent in my work as of late. Utilizing phrases, proper names, queer slang, pop culture references, and original writing, I search for subjugated expression and meaning within queer culture’s presentation of itself. In addition, symbolic images (pride flag, pink triangle) or queer icons (Judy Garland, Karen Carpenter) are used as a launching point of exploration as subjective cultural cyphers.

Using traditional materials, I contrast contemporary pictorial language (and our technologically aided memories of them) with methodological reproduction (via handiwork), which together, form a meditation on ideas of cultural permanence, remembrance and loss.

MATTHEW PAWLOWSKI

San Francisco, CA matthewpawlowski@icloud.comlinkedin.com/in/matthew-pawlowski

510-684-6906www.matthewpawlowski.com

EDUCATION

M.F.A., University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

B.A., Macalester College, St. Paul, Minnesota.

EXHIBITIONS

2016 Sticks Gallery, Berkeley, CA. Solo Exhibit. Myong Stebbins, Curator.

2016 Five Pins Gallery, San Francisco, CA.Group Exhibit.Lis Goldschmidt, Curator.

2015 Sticks Gallery, Berkeley, CA.Solo Exhibit. Myong Stebbins, Curator.

2015 Five Pins Gallery, San Francisco, CA.Group Exhibit.Lis Goldschmidt, Curator.

2011 Proof, Southern Exposure, San Francisco, CA. Group Exhibit. Denise Markovish, Curator, Mass MOCA.

2009 Collaborative Work by Sam Lopes and Friends, BlankSpace Gallery, Oakland, CA. Collaboration.

2008 Faretheewell, Circa Gallery, Minneapolis, MN

2006 Bridge Art Fair, Miami Beach, FL

2006 BACKDROP: New Photos and Paintings, Jean Flynn Space, Berkeley, CA.

2005 Summer in Southpark, Andrea Schwartz Gallery, San Francisco, CA. Group Exhibition.

2005 15 x 15 x 15, Circa Gallery, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Group Exhibition.

2005 Monster Drawing Rally, Southern Exposure, San Francisco, California. Group Exhibition.

2005 Adoration/Decoration, Circa Gallery, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Solo Exhibition.

2004 WAM Art Expo, Frederick R Weisman Art Museum, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

2004 Monster Drawing Rally, Southern Exposure, San Francisco, California. Group Exhibition.

2004 Reversing Vandalism, San Francisco Public Library Gallery, San Francisco, California.

2001 The Lite Light Show, 370 South Fair Oaks, Pasadena, California. Group Exhibition.

2000 SF Drawing Show, New Image Arts, Los Angeles, California. Group Exhibition.

2000 Multiple Sensations: Series, Collections, Obsessions, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts,

San Francisco, California. Group Exhibition.

2000 Summerland, 52 Julian Space, San Francisco, California. Group Exhibition.

2000 Things Get Dangerous, Blue Books Gallery, San Francisco, California. Group Exhibition.

2000 Pierogi 2000 Gallery, Flat Files, New York, New York. Curatorial Project Participation.

1999 California, Circa Gallery, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Solo Exhibition.

1997 Out Loud and Proud, Bridge Gallery, San Francisco, California. Group Exhibition

1996 Sequence, The Student Center Art Gallery, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, California. Group Exhibition.

1996 Ephemera, Circa Gallery, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Solo Exhibition.

1996 Where Do You Draw the Line? Minnesota Museum of Art, St. Paul, Minnesota. Group Exhibition.

1995 Recall, Macalester College Gallery, Macalester College, St. Paul, Minnesota. Group Exhibition.

1995 Freaks, Circa Gallery, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Solo Exhibition.

1995 New Work, Irene Whitney Fine Arts Festival Honoree, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Solo Exhibition.

1994 Figuration, St. Paul Companies Gallery

1994 The Forgotten Gaze, Katherine Nash Gallery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

1994 Recent Paintings, Circa Gallery, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Two-Person Exhibition.

1993 Big Ten Conference Exhibit, Big Ten Conference, Park Ridge, Illinois. Group Exhibition.

1992 A Day Without Art, Studio Arts Student Society, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Artist Collaboration.

1992 Expo 1992, Coffman Memorial Union, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Group Exhibition.

1992 Collage Concepts-A Sum of Elements, Bloomington Art Center, Bloomington, Minnesota. Two-Person Exhibition.

AWARDS AND HONORS

Visual Aid, Recipient, San Francisco, California. 2009.

Bush Foundation Semi-Finalist, Minneapolis, Minnesota. 1995.

MCAD/McKnight Foundation Fellowship Semi-Finalist, Minneapolis, Minnesota. 1995.

MCAD/Jerome Foundation Fellowship Semi-Finalist, Minneapolis, Minnesota. 1994.

Department of Art Scholarship Recipient, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota. 1994.

President's Leadership and Service Award, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota. 1993.

Graduate Study Fellow, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota. 1992-93.

Distinguished Merit Award, Art. Macalester College Senior Honors Convocation. 1988.

COLLECTIONS

Instant Webb Corporation Permanent Collection, Chanhassen, Minnesota.

Reinhardt Anderson Law Firm Permanent Collection, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Dain Bosworth Company Permanent Collection, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Macalester College Permanent Collection, St. Paul, Minnesota.

ARTICLES AUTHORED

God Bless the Children of the Beast, Great God Pan, Spring, 1999. (Reviewer)

Foundation Artists Headline SF Exhibit, Tom of Finland Foundation Website, 1999. (Author)

The Art Workers Press Top Ten Book, edited by Courtney Fink. 2005. (Contributor)

PUBLICATIONS

The Thing Quarterly, S.F. Trippy Mission: Lives & Art 1989 - 2002, 2014. (Publication)

Jacqueline Ann von Treskow, All on Different Trips-San Francisco’s Mission School and the Dot Com Years, USC, Master of Public Art, 2012. (thesis)

Mary Abbe, A Gallery Crawl, Minneapolis Star and Tribune, September 26, 2008. (review)

Mary Abbe, Culture Crash, Minneapolis Star and Tribune, March 27, 2005. (article)

Mary Abbe, Strength of Show, Minneapolis Star and Tribune, August 25, 1989. (review)

Mary Abbe, Fair Exhibits, Minneapolis Star and Tribune, August 23, 1991. (review)

Mary Abbe, Several Galleries, Minneapolis Star and Tribune, May 27, 1995. (review)

David Anger, Cohesive Bold Art, Equal Time, June 19, 1992 (article)

David Anger, Person Column, Q Monthly, June 1995. (article)

Graffito Magazine, Premeire Issue, September, 1993. (illustration)

The James White Review, Spring Summer, 1997. (illustrations)

PANELS AND JURIES

2005 Guest Lecturer, Stanford University Department of Art, Palo Alto, CA.

2004 Presenter, 2004 Bay Guardian GOLDIE Awards, to Xylor Jane for Visual Art, San Francisco, CA.

2000 Panelist, Visual Arts Advisory Panel, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco, CA.

1999 Juror, Tom of Finland Foundation Annual Emerging Erotic Artist Competition, Los Angeles, CA.

1999 Panelist, You Are Here, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco CA. Symposium sponsored by Southern Exposure, New Langton Arts, San Francisco Arts Commission.

CURATORIAL EXPERIENCE

2014Co-Curator, Yukari Sakura, Animals, a collaborative exhibition with Creativity Explored at the SF SPCA

1997 -Curator, ESP Gallery, San Francisco, California.

2000

GROUP EXHIBITIONS (CURATOR)

2000 Prettytown Parts 1 & 2: Queer Americana in San Francisco

2000 PURE 5 California Photographers: Aaron Plant, Maizie Gilbert, Kelli Yon, Tobin Yelland, Ed Templeton

1999 EROTIC: Unsolicited Works from the Tom of Finland Archive

1999 Peek-a-boo: DL Alvarez, Geoff Chadsey, Cliff Hengst, Xylor Jane, Tracy Nakayama, Michelle Rollman

1999 NEW: Three Emerging Artists: Karen Kersten, Jake Hartman, and Timothy Taylor

1999 Black Party: Drawings by Annika von Hausswolf, Johan Zetterqvist and Marc Swanson

1998 Stuck: San Francisco Sticker Art

1998 NOW: Four Emerging Artists: Amy Balkin, Christopher Garrett, Rafael Melendez, Kehinde Wiley

1998 TIME ZERO: Artists and Polaroids 1997 Survey Show: ESP Artists

SOLO/TWO-PERSON EXHIBITIONS (CURATOR)

1999 Paul Rowley and David Phillips, Flowery

1999 Matt Mayfield, In Memory of the Children

1999 Rachel Neubauer, Rendevous

1999 Leah Modigliani, Bildungsroman

1999 Darin Klein and Sean O'Dell, New Work

1999 Susanne Cockrell/Curtis Hsiang, New Work

1998 Mike Pare, Pacific Time

1998 Steven Brown/Bigfoot, New Work

1998 Brandon Kiel/Aaron Plant, New Work

1998 Kathryn Lybarger/Dan Tiffany, New Work

1998 Arnold Kemp, Arnold J. Kemp

1998 Tobin Yelland, Skateboarders

1998 Marc Swanson, Bats Like Me

1997 Nina Ackerberg and Kathryn Lybarger, New Work

1997 Heidi Brant/Shane Valentino, I'm Just Filthy (DJ Nosferatu and Her Little Black Beamer)

1997 Bruno Fazzolari and Paul Sietsema, Watery

1997 Kevin Hill, New Work

1997 Sandra Wong, New Work

1997 Mike Pare, World Sports

1997 Paul Craven, Destination Out

1997 Darin Klein, New Work