Matthew Borgen
White Man Drawing Back in Terror, 2024
One of a kind inkjet print on archival paper
12" x 12"

Artist Statement

In creating my prints and installations I borrow heavily from comic books produced during the mid-twentieth century, both as a source of imagery, and for the variety of compositional strategies the genre's narrative structure suggests. I often infuse these elements with themes, compositions, or references borrowed from across the western art historical canon.
These combinations and manipulations result in new, sometimes satiric narratives that critique the original sources' problematic ideals of Western culture. Through this process I am also confronting my own privilege. My intention is to mine new value from these source materials and contribute to a broader conversation in which long-held, and seemingly intractable, social ideas are being re-examined.

Artist Bio

Matthew Borgen is a native of Akron, Ohio. He holds a BFA in drawing from the University of Akron and an MFA in painting from the University of Minnesota.
Since moving to Philadelphia in 2003, Borgen has presented his work in regional venues including The Woodmere Art Museum, The Fleisher Art Memorial (Wind Challenge), The Abington Art Center; The Barbara Crawford Gallery at Springside Chestnut Hill Academy; Inliquid Gallery; Mt. Airy Contemporary; James Oliver Gallery; The Trenton City Museum at Ellarslie, Trenton, New Jersey; and The Center for Contemporary Art, Bedminster, New Jersey.
Nationally he has been included in exhibitions at The Urban Institute for Contemporary Art, Grand Rapids, Michigan; The 621 Gallery, Tallahassee, Florida; The Arlington Center for the Arts, Arlington, Massachusetts; H Gallery, Ventura, California; and Target Gallery, Alexandria, Virginia.

matthewborgen.com

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