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Maus  Contemporary

 

TAJ MATUMBI

 

RISE AND SHINE

Rise and Shine stems from a curiosity around formal and figurative abstraction, which I use to investigate real and imagined biographies, including my own. My process is driven by a shifting cooperation between intuitive gesture and intentional action, further guided by formal and material restraints that lead me to arrive at unexpected outcomes and conclusions.


During the early years of the pandemic, I started sketching figures loosely copied from drawings made in my adolescent years. This practice led to deeper conceptual questioning and motif development on the subject of representation and identity. For example, the series Das Boot (shown hereunder) explores American exceptionalism and the common expression, “pull yourself up by your bootstraps.” In more recent paintings, I depict characters reminiscent of 18th-century royalty, re-imagining ruling class and court figures. Works such as Chariot and Lighten Up (both shown hereunder) address the erasure of individuals historically and still today within the dominant White narrative.

 

Taj Matumbi, January 2024

 

 

 

click to access Taj Matumbi's current CV

 

 

 

 

Taj Matumbi "Chariot"Taj Matumbi "Chariot" Taj Matumbi "Lighten Up"Taj Matumbi "Lighten Up"
   

Taj Matumbi

Chariot

2023

acrylic, flashe, solid paint marker, and oil stick on canvas

48 by 36 in. (121,9 by 91,4 cm)

 

private US collection

Taj Matumbi

Lighten Up

2023

acrylic, flashe, and oil stick on canvas

48 by 36 in. (121,9 by 91,4 cm)

 

 

 

 


"History, pop culture, urban folklore, and improvisation drive my work as an image maker. I’m interested in how this source material translates to shape, text, and color that coalesce into meaning within abstract fields. In recent paintings, I blend formal abstraction with poorly rendered figures that recall my primary school days - an intentionally naive and self-taught drawing approach that allows my subject matter to more fluidly inhabit both real and imagined worlds.

Westword comprises a selection of paintings that evolved amidst Trump’s rise to power, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the explosive civil rights protests that emerged in the wake of George Floyd’s murder by the Minneapolis Police in May of 2020. This period of turmoil prompted a reflective turn inward in my studio practice, resulting in more overt exploration of my identity as an African American through kindred themes of isolation, otherness, trauma, and rites of passage."


- Taj Matumbi


 

click thumbnail mage on right to access a

check list of the exhibition RISE AND SHINE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Taj Matumbi "Profiteers"Taj Matumbi "Profiteers"

Taj Matumbi

Profiteers

2023

acrylic and flashe on canvas

36 by 72 in. (diptych, two individual elements of 36 by 36 in. each)

91,4 by 182,9 cm (diptych, two individual elements of 91,4 by 91,4 cm each)

 

private US collection

 

 

 

 

 

Taj Matumbi "Alter-ego"Taj Matumbi "Alter-ego"

Taj Matumbi

Alter-ego

2023

acrylic, flashe, and graphite on canvas

72 by 48 in. (182,9 by 121,9 cm)

 

 

 

 

 

Taj Matumbi "Passing Me By"Taj Matumbi "Passing Me By"

Taj Matumbi

Passing Me By

2023

acrylic, graphite, and oil stick on canvas

40 by 40 in. (101,6 by 101,6 cm)

 

 

 

 

 

Taj Matumbi "Pyramid Scheme"Taj Matumbi "Pyramid Scheme"

Taj Matumbi

Pyramid Scheme

2023

acrylic and graphite on canvas

36 by 36 in. (91,4 by 91,4 cm)

 

private US collection

 

 

 

 

 

 

Taj Matumbi "Clown Ville"Taj Matumbi "Clown Ville"

Taj Matumbi

Clown Ville

2023

acrylic and cardboard on canvas

36 by 48 in. (91,4 by 121,9 cm)

 

permanent collection of the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, Montgomery, Alabama

 

 

 

 

 

Taj Matumbi "After Hours"Taj Matumbi "After Hours"

Taj Matumbi

After Hours

2023

acrylic on canvas

32 by 42 in. (81,3 by 106,7 cm)

 

 

 

 

 

Taj Matumbi "Late for Skool"Taj Matumbi "Late for Skool"

Taj Matumbi

Late to Skool

2023

acrylic and graphite on canvas

36 by 36 in. (91,4 by 91,4 cm)

 

private US collection

 

 

 

 

 

 

Taj Matumbi

Scene Change

2023

acrylic on canvas

36 by 48 in. (91,4 by 121,9 cm)

 

permanent collection of the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, Montgomery, Alabama

 

 

 

 

 

Taj Matumbi

MIngled

2023

acrylic and flashe on canvas

60 by 40 in. (152,4 by 101,6 cm)

 

private US collection

 

 

 

 

 

Taj Matumbi "Prince Uhuru"Taj Matumbi "Prince Uhuru"

Taj Matumbi

Prince Uhuru

2022

oil stick and acrylic on canvas

42 by 32 in. (106,7 by 81,3 cm)

 

 

 

 

 

Taj Matumbi "Dirt Rich Prince"Taj Matumbi "Dirt Rich Prince"

Taj Matumbi

Dirt Rich Prince

2022

acrylic on canvas

42 by 32 in. (106,7 by 81,3 cm)

 

 

 

 

 

Taj Matumbi "Sucker Punch Prince"Taj Matumbi "Sucker Punch Prince"

Taj Matumbi

Sucker Punch Prince

2022

acrylic, enamel, flashe, and oil stick on canvas

42 by 32 in. (106,7 by 81,3 cm)

 

private US collection

 

 

 

 

 

 

Taj Matumbi "Das Boot"Taj Matumbi "Das Boot"

Taj Matumbi

Das Boot

2022

grid of twenty works on paper

acrylic, india ink, and collaged elements on paper

each approx. 5 by 8 in. (ca. 12,7 by 20,3 cm)

Taj Matumbi "Dirt Rich Prince and His Royal Court"Taj Matumbi "Dirt Rich Prince and His Royal Court"

Taj Matumbi

Dirt Rich Prince and His Royal Court

2022

grid of twelve works on paper

alcohol- and oil-based markers and ballpoint pen on paper

each 12 by 9 in. (ca. 30,5 by 22,9 cm)

as installed approx. 42 by 45 in. (ca. 106,7 by 114,3 cm)

 

 

 

 

 

Taj Matumbi "Food Bank"Taj Matumbi "Food Bank"

Taj Matumbi

Food Bank

2020

acrylic and oil pastel on paper on canvas

41.25 by 55.25 in. (104,8 by 140,3 cm)

 

permanent collection of the Paul R. Jones Museum, Tuscaloosa, Alabama

 

 

 

 

 

Taj Matumbi "Camouflage Cowboy"Taj Matumbi "Camouflage Cowboy"

Taj Matumbi

Camouflage Cowboy

2020

acrylic and oil stick on fabric

approx 54.5 by 54.5 in. (138,4 by 138,4 cm)

 

permanent collection of the Wiregrass Museum, Dothan, Alabama

 

 

 

 

 

Taj Matumbi "Red Rover"Taj Matumbi "Red Rover"

Taj Matumbi

Red Rover

2020

acrylic and oil stick on paper on canvas

approx. 61 by 63 in. (155 by 160 cm)

 

private US collection

 

 

 

 

 

Taj Matumbi "Cage Free vs. Free Range"Taj Matumbi "Cage Free vs. Free Range"

Taj Matumbi

Cage Free vs. Free Range

2020

acrylic and oil stick on paper on canvas

approx. 59.5 by 60.5 in. (151,1 by 153,7 cm)

 

permanent collection of the LSU Museum of Art, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

 

 

 

 

 

Taj Matumbi "The Therapist"Taj Matumbi "The Therapist"

Taj Matumbi

The Therapist

2019

acrylic, oil stick, spray paint, and found materials on canvas

60 by 48 in. (152,4 by 121,9 cm)

 

 

 

 

 

Taj Matumbi "Florida Swamp"Taj Matumbi "Florida Swamp"

Taj Matumbi

Florida Swamp

2019

acrylic, spray paint, oil stick, enamel, collaged skirt fragment, and found fabric on canvas

60 by 48 in. (152,4 by 121,9 cm)

 

 

 

 

 

Taj Matumbi "Bodacious"Taj Matumbi "Bodacious"

Taj Matumbi

Bodacious

2019

acrylic, enamel, collaged canvas, and denim on canvas

48 by 48 in. (121,9 by 121,9 cm)

 

private US collection

 

 

 

 

 

Taj Matumbi "Construction Boot"Taj Matumbi "Construction Boot"

Taj Matumbi

Construction Boot

2019

acrylic, acrylic ink, oil-based marker, and graphite on canvas

60 by 48 in. (152,4 by 121,9 cm)

 

 

 

 

 

Taj Matumbi "Southern Sun"Taj Matumbi "Southern Sun"

Taj Matumbi

Southern Sun

2019

acrylic, spray paint, presto whiteout, vinyl, and felt on canvas

48.25 by 48 in. (122,6 by 121,9 cm)

 

private US collection

 

 

 

 

 

Taj Matumbi "Cologne"Taj Matumbi "Cologne"

Taj Matumbi

Cologne

2018

acrylic on canvas

48 by 48 in. (121,9 by 121,9 cm)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Taj Matumbi - installation view of Self-Portrait within Parallel Planes at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2021Taj Matumbi - installation view of Self-Portrait within Parallel Planes at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2021

Taj Matumbi - installation view of Self-Portrait within Parallel Planes at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2021

 

 

Self-Portrait within Parallel Planes

My identity forces me to live in between place and space where the imaginary and the real collide. In this series Self Portrait within Parallel Planes, I paint interlocking and overlapping figures that draw into question the boundaries between individual and collective space. Over the last four years, I have developed a painting vernacular made up of iconography that falls between these two junctions.

In exploring inbetweenness, duality of self and the multiple emerged as conceptual parameters for this exhibition. The multiple is a constant change that affects us all, but on a more personal level as a biracial person, I subconsciously and consciously project a version of myself that is fitting to the context of a space. Some refer to this as code-switching or even “passing” which leaves the individual between a space of reality and fiction.

In this body of work, I delve into repetition, motif, and movement through the framework of the multiple to explore narratives surrounding my biography, shadows of myself, and inbetweenness. I grew up skateboarding from a young age in Northern California. Skateboarding was one of my first forms of self-expression. It taught me skills and gave me tools that would later transfer to my painting process. As a skater, I learned the importance of commitment, style, and speed. I approach painting the same way I approached skateboarding, but instead of doing a hundred kickflips, I make multiple versions of the same painting, striving for consistency while embracing variation, in the way each landed kickflip looks both different and the same.

I often feel othered in any given space due to my background and identity, which often contradict assumptions. While I’ve enjoyed many privileges like studying abroad in India or going to grad school for fine art, I also grew up on welfare, and would sometimes busk by doing skateboard tricks for people at my local farmers’ market so my brothers and I could scrounge up enough money for burritos. These are a few biographical examples that highlight the paradoxical nature of my existence.

These contradictions often make me think about possible versions of myself that I am not aware of, and how feeling in between reality and fiction can give airtime to darker aspects of myself often manifesting in forms of self-doubt and sometimes masochism. Carl Jung speaks of shadows as being an unconscious aspect of yourself that can be harmful when left unchecked or ignored. I titled this series of paintings Self Portrait within Parallel Planes to acknowledge my fragmented self and to find healing.

- Taj Matumbi

 

 

 

 

Taj Matumbi "Self-Portrait with Parallel Planes (Beverly Hills Hunting)"Taj Matumbi "Self-Portrait with Parallel Planes (Beverly Hills Hunting)"

Taj Matumbi

Self-Portrait with Parallel Planes (Beverly Hills Hunting)

2021

acrylic and oil stick on canvas

installed approx. 72 by 98 in. (ca. 182,9 by 248,9 cm)

diptych, each individual element approx.  72 by 48 in. (ca. 182,9 by 121,9 cm)

 

 

Taj Matumbi "Self-Portrait with Parallel Planes (North West Pacific)"Taj Matumbi "Self-Portrait with Parallel Planes (North West Pacific)"

Taj Matumbi

Self-Portrait with Parallel Planes (North West Pacific)

2021

acrylic and oil stick on canvas

installed approx. 72 by 98 in. (ca. 182,9 by 248,9 cm)

diptych, each individual element approx.  72 by 48 in. (ca. 182,9 by 121,9 cm)

 

 

Taj Matumbi "Self-Portrait with Parallel Planes (Miami Vice)"Taj Matumbi "Self-Portrait with Parallel Planes (Miami Vice)"

Taj Matumbi

Self-Portrait with Parallel Planes (Miami Vice)

2021

acrylic and oil stick on canvas

installed approx. 72 by 98 in. (ca. 182,9 by 248,9 cm)

diptych, each individual element approx.  72 by 48 in. (ca. 182,9 by 121,9 cm)

 

 

Taj Matumbi "Self-Portrait with Parallel Planes (Rights of Passage)"Taj Matumbi "Self-Portrait with Parallel Planes (Rights of Passage)"

Taj Matumbi

Self-Portrait with Parallel Planes (Rights of Passage)

2021

acrylic and oil stick on canvas

installed approx. 72 by 98 in. (ca. 182,9 by 248,9 cm)

diptych, each individual element approx.  72 by 48 in. (ca. 182,9 by 121,9 cm)

 

 

Taj Matumbi "Self-Portrait with Parallel Planes (Grey Scale)"Taj Matumbi "Self-Portrait with Parallel Planes (Grey Scale)"

Taj Matumbi

Self-Portrait with Parallel Planes (Grey Scale)

2021

acrylic and oil stick on canvas

installed approx. 72 by 98 in. (ca. 182,9 by 248,9 cm)

diptych, each individual element approx.  72 by 48 in. (ca. 182,9 by 121,9 cm)