From his studio at Mana Contemporary in Jersey City, Brooklyn artist Matthew Flower,
better known as the artist Machine Dazzle, is giving new life to discarded objects for his first
gallery exhibit in New York City, “Obsession and Evidence,” which is set to kick off the New
Year on Wednesday, Jan. 1, at Gallery AP Space.
To celebrate the occasion, Machine Dazzle will lead a procession down 25th street in the
heart of Chelsea’s gallery row with performers in costumes he created which will also
become a part of the exhibit at AP Space.
Born in Upper Darby, PA, Machine Dazzle spent time in Houston, Texas, and Idaho Falls,
Idaho, before arriving in New York City in 1994, where he has worked as an artist, costume
designer, set designer, singer, songwriter and art director. His costumes and sets were
featured in Taylor Mac’s Pulitzer Prize-nominated “A 24-Decade History of Popular Music.”
“Obsession and Evidence” comes on the heels of Machine Dazzle’s recent exhibit, “Soft
Serve,” which took place at Wasserman Projects in Detroit, Michigan, and ran from Sept. 21
to Dec. 14. His first solo installation, “Queer Maximalism x Machine Dazzle,” which was a
performance commission by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, was held at the University of
Michigan Museum of Art in 2022.
Machine Dazzle has been at Mana Contemporary for four years and has opened his studio
to the public twice each year since for Mana Contemporary’s open house events. He was
also a part of Mana’s recent Project 270, where artists made images to get people to vote.
“The magic at Mana Contemporary is the community that’s been built here,” he says. “While
it may be a bit out of the way and isolated from places like Grove Street, it at least keeps
me from being distracted from my work.”
Machine Dazzle transforms recycled objects into forms that resemble fossilized artifacts.
“Obsession and Evidence” explores humanity’s relationship with waste and reimagines
discarded materials. Aspects of this relationship pertain to how non-biodegradable garbage
has become seemingly natural in its abundance.
Alongside his sculptures, he also uses AI generated images to depict the process of
naturalizing artificial elements, motivating the viewer to consider the transition from
lifelessness to life.
“I had access to all of these objects that have been donated to me over the years and
instead of throwing them out, I wanted to give these objects new life,” he says.
“Incorporating AI into it is a part of the aesthetic, but it’s also meant to generate sculptures
that don’t exist but seem like they could. It’s an interesting idea because AI is very new
technology-wise and it’s only going to get better as time goes on. There’s good and bad in
everything. People are worried about the harm AI can do, but I think it depends on who it’s
in the hands of. For me, I’m just creating art with it. That’s nothing malicious.”
“Obsession and Evidence” runs for two weeks from Jan. 1 to Jan. 15. Gallery AP Space is
located at 555 W. 25th St., in Manhattan. The gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday
from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
