![]() |
Sepulcher (2004), by Matthew Day Jackson, courtesy of Bill Orcutt
|
![]() |
(Photo: Frank Schwere) |
Matthew Day Jackson
Sculptor
Inspired by Russian Constructivism, Jackson is a different kind of
Young Pioneer: a sculptor who repurposes frontier symbols
for political aims. The Rutgers grad had one grandfather who was a cop and another in the Marines; his background filters into projects like Tomb of the Unknown, based on
a tank barrier and made of the wooden particleboard found in prefab homes. “It’s about the people going
to war being cast aside,” he says. His contribution to “Greater New York”
is Sepulcher, a commanding sculpture based on a Viking burial ship; for
the sail, he stitched his own
punk-rock T-shirts into the form
of a Mondrian painting. Jackson
calls it “a monument to my own death at the age of 30.” Considering that
he’s already landed a solo gallery show during the boom fall season—in November, at Perry Rubenstein—
we’d say it’s more of a rebirth.