RSA 2023 GRADUATES

2023 BA → Chayse Matthews

Chayse Matthews

Matthews, C. 1
CONVERSATION, 30x30cm-30x183cm, 2023

Biomorphism, chaos theory and automatism are constant themes amongst my practice. Artists such as Henry Moore, Mark Manders and Rebecca Warren, alongside architectural interior designer Simone Bodmer-Turner greatly inspire my medium and scale. Working with sculpture broke the cycle of two-dimensional paintings, whereby safety in the medium constricted me from reaching out. Learning from this, materiality became a particular interest of mine, as I currently attempt to depict materials as something they are not (i.e., foam or wax as unfired clay). On the same note, one may infer that such sculptures are heavy, but in actuality they are lightweight, fragile and less malleable than believed upon initial inspection-unlike typical characteristics of clay. The characters that I mould are depictions of my subconscious; a delve into my imagination and are not necessarily built, instead carved out. Removing material rather than building it up complimented my inability to influence the final visualisation. Surrealistic techniques such as exquisite corpse, Rorschach ink blots and collage envelope the development of such fantastical, limbless figures that are neither animal nor human. I hope that viewers feel an affinity with the characters, meanwhile questioning their presence, purpose and humanity amongst such beings.

Matthews, C. 2
Untitled, 2022