Matt Bollinger: Double Shift

One could argue that Newt Gingrich, more than any other contemporary politician, has shifted the dynamics of US politics in the 21st-century. After all, it was Gingrich who introduced the divisive rhetoric, vicious tactics, and nationalistic platforms that have come to shape the American sociopolitical environment for the last 30 years. Whether you agree with the policies or not, it’s undeniable that all Americans have witnessed the effects on Main Streets across the US. As we approach the midterm elections in 2022, we’re seeing an even more divided America; one in which the working-class and middle-class find it more difficult to make ends meet amongst high inflation and while on the brink of a recession. It’s these individuals that often become the subjects of Matt Bollinger’s drawings, paintings, and animations.

The artwork that comprises Double Shift spans the past 5 years and share a collective malaise that can be felt throughout each object in the exhibition. People go about their daily lives—filling a lawnmower with gas, smoking a cigarette, looking at a convenience store window— but with a palpable fatigue that exists when one is trying to hold onto a world slipping away. It’s easy to understand how the subjects got to this lonely place, especially with a global pandemic and a political system that operates in a zero-sum manner. Yet, Bollinger doesn’t try to make his work political; rather, taking stance more attune to an anthropologist whose documenting with empathy.

While trained as a painter, Bollinger’s studio practice is an interdisciplinary tour de force where narratives and characters seamlessly shift between media. Often focusing on domestic environments or individuals at work, his figures become metaphors for larger swaths of American society. Having been raised in a suburban neighborhood outside of Kansas City, Bollinger draws on familial history to help create allegories related to what’s happening around the country now. Bollinger’s use of extreme highlights and shadows create a noir-like quality that helps to spotlight an undercurrent of despair that’s camouflaged by daily routines. It’s these small moments of respite—a beer or smoke after a long shift—that remind us regardless of our socio-economic or political affiliation were more alike than different.

Marc Mitchell / Curator & Director of Exhibitions

LECTURE: Thursday, Nov 17th at 5:30pm / Hillside Auditorium

RECEPTION: Friday, Nov 18th from 5-7pm / FNAR Gallery

CATALOGUE AVAILABLE / Free to School of Art students

Countdown , 2020. Flashe and acrylic on canvas. 48 x 38 in. Collection of Jesse Mockrin, Los Angeles

Countdown, 2020. Flashe and acrylic on canvas. 48 x 38 in. Collection of Jesse Mockrin, Los Angeles

Daytime DVDs with Candy , 2019. Graphite on paper. 48 x 60 in. Courtesy of the artist and mother’s tankstation, Dublin | London

Daytime DVDs with Candy, 2019. Graphite on paper. 48 x 60 in. Courtesy of the artist and mother’s tankstation, Dublin | London

Still from Three Rooms , 2018. Hand painted stop motion animation. 18 min 30 sec. Courtesy of the artist and mother’s tankstation, Dublin | London

Still from Three Rooms, 2018. Hand painted stop motion animation. 18 min 30 sec. Courtesy of the artist and mother’s tankstation, Dublin | London

Davis Lawn Care , 2019. Flashe and acrylic on canvas. 48 x 38 in. Collection of Beth Rudin DeWoody, New York

Davis Lawn Care, 2019. Flashe and acrylic on canvas. 48 x 38 in. Collection of Beth Rudin DeWoody, New York

Candy , 2019. Graphite on paper. 17 1/2 x 23 in. Courtesy of the artist and mother’s tankstation, Dublin | London

Candy, 2019. Graphite on paper. 17 1/2 x 23 in. Courtesy of the artist and mother’s tankstation, Dublin | London

Still from Between the Days , 2017. Hand painted stop motion animation. 18 mins. Courtesy of the artist and mother’s tankstation, Dublin | London

Still from Between the Days, 2017. Hand painted stop motion animation. 18 mins. Courtesy of the artist and mother’s tankstation, Dublin | London

Furlough III , 2021. Flashe and acrylic on canvas. 48 x 38 in. Collection of Kyle Meyer & Khaled Habayeb, New York.

Furlough III, 2021. Flashe and acrylic on canvas. 48 x 38 in. Collection of Kyle Meyer & Khaled Habayeb, New York.

Honeysuckle and Salems, 2020. Flashe and acrylic on canvas. 16 x 20 in, Collection of Beth Rudin DeWoody, New York

Honeysuckle and Salems, 2020. Flashe and acrylic on canvas. 16 x 20 in, Collection of Beth Rudin DeWoody, New York

In the Entertainment Center , 2019. Graphite on paper. 17 1/2 x 23 in. Courtesy of the artists and mother’s tankstation, Dublin | London

In the Entertainment Center, 2019. Graphite on paper. 17 1/2 x 23 in. Courtesy of the artists and mother’s tankstation, Dublin | London

Hallway Set , 2018. Flashe, acrylic, canvas on wood. 11 1/2 x 12 1/2 x 25 in. Courtesy of the artist and mother’s tankstation, Dublin | London

Hallway Set, 2018. Flashe, acrylic, canvas on wood. 11 1/2 x 12 1/2 x 25 in. Courtesy of the artist and mother’s tankstation, Dublin | London

Ash , 2017. Flashe, acrylic, resin, foam, and wood. 11 x 12 x 12 in. Courtesy of the artist and mother’s tankstation, Dublin | London

Ash, 2017. Flashe, acrylic, resin, foam, and wood. 11 x 12 x 12 in. Courtesy of the artist and mother’s tankstation, Dublin | London

Still from Holmes II , Painted animation. 3 min 59 sec. Courtesy of the artist and mother’s tankstation, Dublin | London

Still from Holmes II, Painted animation. 3 min 59 sec. Courtesy of the artist and mother’s tankstation, Dublin | London

Ignition , 2017. Flashe, acrylic, resin, foam, and wood. 14 1/4 x 12 x 12 in. Courtesy of the artist and mother’s tankstation, Dublin | London

Ignition, 2017. Flashe, acrylic, resin, foam, and wood. 14 1/4 x 12 x 12 in. Courtesy of the artist and mother’s tankstation, Dublin | London