Matthew Newkirk
Matthew Newkirk examines the power of visual language in shaping how we understand news, commerce and social relations. Drawing on familiar formats of public communication, including street signage, his works seek an immediate response before unsettling what is being read. Through shifts in context, typography and scale, Newkirk reveals how meaning can be constructed, redirected or distorted. A sign that appears authoritative in the street can become ambiguous in the gallery, prompting viewers to consider not only what they are reading, but how they have learned to interpret it. Referencing the history of signage in contemporary art, Newkirk’s work maintains a distinctly local and contemporary position, reflecting on the systems through which images are produced, circulated and believed. Matthew Newkirk received his PhD from the Queensland College of Art and Design, Griffith University.
Artworks
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