"Dillon's style that has emerged in a steady clip of gallery exhibitions in recent years is spontaneous, textured, and gestural. He paints bold, flat works marked with mercurial figures, recurring symbols, and unexplained words."
"The series of paintings was born while Dillon was in Senegal for Claire Denis's The Fence (2025) in which he played Horn, an embattled American who is overseeing a controversial construction project in an unnamed West African country."
"It's not meant to be a literal description of the work or place, but rather the feeling behind the work, said the gallery's co-founder, Michael Nevin."
"That feeling is one of lingering images being flattened and cast loosely in paint. An ungainly cat in flight rendered in stark black outline, a stack of luminous orange cinderblocks against a wall."
Matt Dillon began painting over a decade ago, inspired by his artistic family background. His style is spontaneous and textured, featuring bold works with mercurial figures and symbols. Dillon's first solo show, "Porto Novo to Abomey," showcases paintings created during his travels in Senegal and Benin while filming. The title reflects a journey through Benin, with the gallery displaying place names that evoke the feelings behind his work, which captures lingering images in paint.
Read at Artnet News
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