Matt Bahen: There is Something Happening in the Valley

Glenhyrst Art Gallery of Brant is pleased to announce our current exhibit.  The exhibition will be on display at Glenhyrst Art Gallery of Brant, 20 Ava Rd., Brantford until July 24, 2022.  Admission to the gallery is free.  All are welcome.

In this exhibition, artist Matt Bahen creates paintings that allude to themes and devices found inliterature and film. He pulls from a breadth of sources—Jeff Vandermeer’s Southern Reach trilogy andthe Dune series to the fantasy films Stalker and Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. They teem withecological imagery—unsullied rivers and forest fires—coupled with biblical icons—burning bushes andarmoured thistles. In effect, allusion and metaphor battle for meaning in the landscape. There is no easyreading of Bahen’s work; everything is restless and unfolding, which makes for an absorbing tension
across each composition. We can also read them with awe over the sublime power of nature or throughthe lens of the Anthropocene, described as the beginning of the end of the world. This twist is similar tothe literary tropes “enchanted forest” or “forbidden wood,” those mired homes of monsters in fairy talesand folklore, where the protagonist enters to discover themselves or become lost forever. Ultimately,Bahen’s paintings are both beautiful and deceptive; they ask us to look closely at what is knowable and
unknowable about the land and landscape.

Hours of Operation:

• Tuesday to Friday: 10am–5:00pm
• Saturday and Sunday: 11am–4pm
• Mondays & Statutory Holidays: Closed