Matthew Wilson
17 April to 14 May 2021
11am - 5pm
Tuesday to Saturday
Free Admission
Opening Reception
17 April 2021
Artist Statement
Following the success of the Re:New Wallace Collection exhibitions since 2018, R-Space will deliver the fourth in a series of collaborative cultural projects involving a Northern Irish artist/maker and the Wallace Collection in London, thus celebrating his historical/cultural connection with Co. Antrim and Lisburn in particular. Re:New Wallace #4 will link the Wallace Collection with the historical past of the Hertford family and their strong links with Lisburn where Sir Richard Wallace was the local MP, benefactor and land-owner.
Our selected artist this year is Matthew Wilson, who says: "I am delighted to have been selected by R-Space to produce work in response to its connection with The Wallace Collection, London and particularly the Rococo style which features heavily in the Collection’s interiors. Unfortunately, due to Covid-19 restrictions, I have been unable to travel to the Wallace Collection but feel confident that working alongside Anthea McWilliams of R-Space, the curators of The Wallace Collection and their excellent online resources will allow me to develop a series of works inspired by this fascinating collection and the Rococo period.
Although not living in Lisburn extensively, Wallace’s connection to this place and its people can still be seen reverberated throughout the city today, particularly in his philanthropic work. I am keen to investigate the strong ties between the two locations, exploiting the dichotomy of the landscapes and the role they had within Wallace’s own life.
As a style, Rococo developed from craftspeople, often taking the form of furniture and other domestic objects. The work I make for R-Space is likely to revoke this functionality, drawing upon the extensive patterning and asymmetrical forms to create works which play with the Rococo style in a contemporary context. These layered histories will inform the commission, utilising the windows of the gallery space to invite the passing audience’s engagement in a new way."
About The Artist
Matthew Wilson is an artist living and working in Northern Ireland. A recent graduate of Belfast School of Art, he has previously been included in exhibitions such as the Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition 2018, London and the Royal Ulster Academy of Arts Annual Exhibition 2019, Belfast. In 2019, he was granted a scholarship to attend the New York Academy of Art Summer Residency. He has worked on a number of commissioned projects, both with institutions such as Ulster University and Queens University and within the local community.