Lot 41
MATT BAHEN
Additional Images
Provenance:
Private Collection, Toronto
Note:
Matt Bahen is a young artist who creates enigmatic large-scale compositions that play with the observer’s perception. Up close, his aesthetic reveals itself as an abstract composition layered in thick coats of oil paint. However, from a distance, the figurative subjects appear in a clear and detailed manner. In Trench Smoke (2008), Bahen uses his signature technique to depict a typical scene of warfare, soldiers roaming through muddy, waterlogged trenches heading to an unknown, possibly perilous outcome. The parallel between hidden subject matter within the canvas and an “invisible war” is strikingly intelligent. Throughout his corpus, Bahen approaches themes of conflict, loss, survival, hope and compassion.
Matt Bahen graduated from the Ontario College of Art and Design in 2002. He participated in various solo shows in North America noticeably at LE Gallery and the Moore Gallery in Toronto, the Munch Gallery and the Claire Olivier Gallery in New York. His artwork is included in various public and private collections such as the BMO Financial Group Toronto, the Canadian National Landscaping Association of Canada and the OCAD collection. Matt Bahen currently lives and works in Toronto.