Isabel Mattia

Website | CV

Biography

Isabel is a familiar and beloved name at the Dedee Shattuck Gallery. She was the Lead Curator of the gallery from 2011 to 2015, and is largely responsible for the aesthetic and functional direction of the gallery. We're delighted to have her work finally exhibited in the space she helped create. Mattia's sculptures are conceptual and narrative-based, working with irony, literature, current events, and history. As she writes of the invitation image, Circular Logic: 

What happens when structure is solidified around circular logic? This piece imagines this question as a sculptural drawing. The lines repeat, revolve into each other, diverge and converge, but all connect in a spherical shape. The intersections of the steel brushstrokes are solidified in concrete. The concrete flakes and cracks as the sculpture moves, due to the tension and fragility of the substrate. Angela Davis writes about the circular logic embedded in the design of our prison systems. They rely on the perception that certain people are inherently criminalized, and are self perpetuating due to financial incentives to keep these people incarcerated. Many Americans believe our prison systems to be unjust, corrupt, and ineffective, but refuse to imagine a change, fearing the people inside and believing that prisons are too tightly woven into the fabric of our society to become disentangled. This piece reminds us that if structure is built on circular logic, it will fail. Our prison systems are just one example of this truth."

A graduate of Brown University, Mattia's work has been exhibited at the New Bedford Art Museum, The Perry and Marty Granoff Center for the Arts at Brown University, and the David Winton Bell Gallery. She is a recipient of the Marlene Malik Grant for Sculpture and the Roberta Joslin Award for Excellence in Art.

Exhibits

Dedee Shattuck Gallery | March 29 - April 23, 2017 | Isabel Mattia, Elena Bria, Timothy Powers Wilson