On the Couch with Matthew Sleeth

Arts Review Matthew Sleeth On the CouchWho is Matthew Sleeth?
A Melbourne based visual artist.

What would you do differently to what you do now?   
The list is so long, I wouldn’t know where to start.

Who inspires you and why?
My peers. Other artists whose work I admire. Right now, it’s my collaborators in a Drone Opera; Kate Richards, Sue Frykberg, Robin Fox, Phil Samartzis, Shelley Lasica, and Bosco Shaw.

Favourite holiday destination and why?
Home with my family. Travelling for pleasure is not my idea of a good time.

What are you currently reading?
A couple of books on drone theory and a collection of Werner Herzog interviews.

What are you currently listening to?
Mainly The Dropkick Murphys.

Happiness is?
Being able to make the work you have dreamed of. Happiness is focusing on one project you are excited about and convinced will speak to an audience.

What does the future hold for you?
More performance works I hope.

Matthew Sleeth is an Australian artist who lives and works between Melbourne and New York. His conceptually driven practice across a range of media includes sculpture, photography, video and public installation. His work has been widely collected and exhibited throughout Australia and internationally including New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Cologne, Berlin, Venice.

Matthew has participated in a number of international events including the Odense Triennial (Denmark), Berlin Photography Festival, Noorderlicht PhotoFestival (Netherlands), the Venice Architecture Biennale, Art Chicago and the Melbourne International Arts Festival. Following his 2009 solo exhibition, Various Positions, his large-­scale sculptural installation The Rise and Fall of Western Civilization (and Other Obvious Metaphors) opened at Claire Oliver Gallery (New York) in December 2011.

Matthew’s work was presented at the National Gallery of Victoria (Melbourne) as part of Melbourne Now, 2013 and most recently, Sleeth’s Development Video [A Drone Opera] featured in RMIT Design Hub’s exhibition The Future is Here co-­curated with the Design Museum London 2014.

Matthew will be directing A Drone Opera at Arts House: 10 – 13 September 2015. For more information, visit: www.artshouse.com.au for details.

Image: Matthew Sleeth