INVURT

One of the first things you notice about Matthew Dunns work, is the atmosphere. Dark, often brooding and full of monochromatic wonder, his work is, despite first appearances, quite adaptive. With undertones of playful subtext, and with humourous irony dotted throughout his pieces, Dunn isn’t afraid to humanise his creations – lending a bright spark of light to what would, otherwise, be fairly gloomy representations of urban wastelands and decayed civilizations.

As an artist who has left the 9-5 behind him, Matt delves into this mental landscape with abandon, doggedly following the many paths that his subjects take him down. From symbolic iconography to characters veiled in masks and streetwear, and with frequent nods of the head to the world of comics and to the music that he loves, the assumption that his work is all about the darkness and its denizens is highly superficial.

Its for those reasons, and, simply, because we love his work so much, that we wanted to catch up with the artist before his upcoming solo show "The Justice Will Be So Fantastic" this week at Artboy Gallery in Prahran. So read on for an insight into this amazing artists world, his love of comics, narrative art and the powerful imagery behind his work …

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We first became aware of Matt Dunns work when we went into ArtBoy Gallery in Prahran – there was just something about the dystopic imagery and gas-mask adorned characters that really made us take notice of his work.

Coming up at the end of September, ArtBoy will plays host to Matt Dunns much anticipated solo show, "The Justice Will Be So Fantastic".

"Melbourne artist Matthew Dunn presents visual interpretations of the music of Crippled Black Phoenix. 

With an approach varying from literal translations to abstract assumptions, the art is produced across a range of mediums including illustration, stencils, custom toys, and more – "More misery, more questioning the mind, more cynicism, more justice and ultimately more hope." – Justin Greaves (CBP)

Matthew Dunn started drawing from the moment he picked up a crayon. Some of his earliest memories are of sitting in front of the TV watching Saturday morning cartoons, with a stack of comics nearby, drawing with the same obsessive focus that he maintains to this day.

His art is heavily influenced by the world of comics and horror/exploitation films, with a healthy (?) dose of post-apocalyptic fascination, absurdist humour, and melancholic hope.

Current projects include the in-progress sequel to the graphic novel "Lonely Monsters" (which introduced Leroy, the gas masked character that appears throughout a lot of his work), the ongoing webcomic "The Secret History Of Skullboy", a series of collaborations with UK band Crippled Black Phoenix, and more."

Check out this video on Youtube for a cool run down – we’re pretty hyped for this show!
 
Who: Matthew Dunn
What: The Justice Will Be So Fantastic solo show
Where: ArtBoy Gallery, 99 Greville St, Prahran, VIC
When: Show opens Friday 2nd of September at 6pm, and runs til Tuesday 6th September.

Check out Matthew Dunns website, the ArtBoy Gallery website, Matts profile over at JAA, and the running blog on the upcoming show.

With another incarnation of the Bumpa series of breakbeat events at Heat Nightclub been and gone, there is much to be said. The visiting international contingent, comprising the unique and freshly innovative Tipper and Heavy Weight Breaks phenomenon Skool of Thought, performed to high expectations and did not disappoint.
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