Above: 1 extreme 2 another
Above: All journeys have a beginning
Two conceptual photobooks published by Curtis Fine Papers to support their paper brands Eco and Classic. One
Matthew Cusick cuts apart maps to create stunning collages and sculptures, including portraits. The Dallas, Texas artist collects maps and cuts them apart according to color and shade, pasting them into these compositions on a board backing. But the particular maps chosen also have meaning in reference to the subject: “The people I construct out of maps represent certain ideas and moments in time that resonate deeply with me,” he says. “The maps I choose for each work relate to that person’s timeline and history. I’ll use these maps as a surrogate for paint but also as a way to expand the limits of representational painting. Each map fragment is employed both as a brush stroke and a unit of information. The human form acts as a matrix in which inlaid maps from different places and times coalesce into a narrative.”
'My pieces build over time and grow in sequence with the days. Newsprint carries on it’s inky surface the imprint of news and trivia that each day throws up. As the structures develop, the sheets of newspaper that I use loose their original function and the objects that emerge begin to transmit new messages of their own. At the same time these ‘time capsules’ age and the fragmented stories within loose their currency. The original colour and paper quality declines leaving a strata of aging that mirrors the history of the objects making.'Visit her website here.