Matt Geer will have an upcoming retrospective show dubbed Lost Cause at 5-11 pm at 760 N Milwaukee on Friday, June 17, and it will definitely be worth attending.
I met Geer a few years back at Ken Hirte’s monthly art meet up (Hirte is kind enough to open his doors to artists and other social deviants on every first Friday), and I later found that Matt and I had some mutual friends and acquaintances. I’ve always found that all the strange people know each other. Of course I mean this in a complementary sense. Geer has had fabulous art shows all over town including one in Pilsen Outpost which is owned by some poet/artist friends of mine, Teresa Magaña, Pablo Ramirez and Diana Solis. See http://www.pilsenoutpost.com/#!about/c24vq for more info.
Geer was kind enough to answer a few questions at Hirte’s place last Friday. The interview was done in an impromptu fashion with little pre planning. Greer did not always answer my questions directly but he often circled around them in interesting ways.
Hopefully the interview bore some fruit and readers can gain a little insight into the man, his works, and the thought processes behind them.
_____________________
Can you tell me about your art education?
I had none to speak of. I was expelled from high school then I went back to get a GED. I served a little time in college. I proved that I could teach better than the instructor, and I got my money back from the class. I never came back.
Can you discuss your upcoming show on June 17?
I’m going to have a huge show here at 760 N. Milwaukee. It’s going to be an exhibition of everything I have done in the last three years to the present. I’ve been painting every day and there is always new work, so I’ll be packing the place from wall to wall.
Can you discuss the progression of your style?
Well, if you come to my show you can see the full spectrum of my work. I like to work in different mediums and work in many different styles. Everything has its own obsession and everything has got its own message. Overall my work is about my torments and my obsessions at the time.
Which specific mediums do you like to work with?
I usually use acrylic paint, house paints, and spray paints. I like using inks that are heavy like the quality you would use for a tattoo. In some of the recent stuff I used a huge flat inch and a half brush. I brush the black ink down. I can get a cool effect that way.
Are you still doing the booklets with the grotesque cartoon influenced zombie art?
I’m not doing the necrocolor series anymore. I’m making new stuff and I want to see where that goes.
Can you discuss your influences?
My background is poverty, so that is an enormous influence. I talk to people everywhere and I say I am a friendly ghost or modern day Socrates . What I found talking to people is that we all want the same things out of life. We just go about getting them in different ways. We all want the essentials security and love. I can’t see why we can’t all have that. That’s what my work boils down to
You once told me that you despised popular or corporate music and you gravitated toward experimental music. Do you also prefer experimental visual art?
I am actually interested in all images from fine paintings to advertising. Sometimes even a shitty ad captures something special. Maybe they did a really good job of laying it all out. I might see a silhouette in GQ magazine or a model in Vogue. That image will soak into my subconscious and it may boil out later in my work.
Is there anything else you wanted to say?
I’m a simple person and I’m very hands on guy, but I’m a huge showoff. I’m a real introvert. I spend a lot of time alone, but the way I like to gain attention is through my work. It takes some of the pressure off.
