Culture website PROHBTD interviewed artist Matthew Grabelsky to discuss his current exhibition “Underground” now on view in the Thinkspace Gallery project room. Please visit PROHBTD’s website to read Grabelsky’s full interview.
Your characters are placed in everyday situations like riding the subway. Do the characters simply add surrealism, or do any of them reflect animal-like passengers you encountered on the subway?
My central concept is that everyone has a hidden aspect of their mind that can be revealed with an animal hybridization. However, there are certainly many times when I’ve been on the subway and have seen people who are practically fantastical creatures in their own right. For anyone who has spent time on the subway in New York, the animal characters in my paintings are not that much of a jump from what you see there every day.
Don’t forget to check out our own interview with Matthew Grabelsky!
