Matt Messinger (b. 1974)Matt Messinger is an artist based in Houston, TX. He studied graphic design at the Art Institute of Houston and has had an active studio practice over the past 20 years. His work has been exhibited widely throughout Houston, including exhibitions in Houston at Foltz Gallery, Reeves Fine Art, Devin Borden Gallery, Lawndale Art Center, and Deborah Colton Gallery. Messigner’s work can also be seen at his studio at Hardy & Nance Studios in Houston’s Downtown Art Warehouse District. Messinger is best known for paintings which incorporate matte surfaces with symbolic images, generally in black and white. Meticulous fabric collage, often layered from found household linens or flour sacks, creates a neutral ground which accentuates the flatness of the painting surface. Subtle patterns of drips and graffiti simultaneously create an illusion of spacial depth, contradicting this flatness. It is within this field that Messinger combines visual quotations from popular culture, scientific diagrams, or animals – real and imagined. His paintings mix serious ideas and icons with lighthearted techniques and imagery. Messinger enjoys symbolism and can be inspired by anything from logos, advertisements and animals, something simple as a number, or as subtle as a texture. He scavenges pop detritus with an eye to nostalgia, humor, and subtle irony. EducationAssociates of Applied Science, Art Institute of Houston, TX Selected Solo Exhibitions2023, Curio, Galveston Arts Center, Galveston, TX2019, Bestiary, Devin Borden Gallery, Houston, TX 2017, Argus, Devin Borden Gallery, Houston, TX2015, Cluster, Devin Borden Gallery, Houston, TX2014, Stack, Devin Borden Gallery, Houston, TX 2013, New Paintings, Devin Borden Gallery, Houston, TX 2011, Found, Debra Colton Gallery, Houston, TX Selected Group Exhibitions2024, Endless Summer, Foltz Fine Art, Houston, TX2023, Summers End, Foltz Fine Art, Houston, TX2023, Crossroads, East Austin Studio Tour, Big Medium, Austin, TX2021, The Big Show, Lawndale Art Center, Houston, TX2022, SEPTET, Reeves Art + Design, Houston TX2022, For Ellen, Hardy & Nance Studios, Houston, TX2021, Solitude in Bloom, two-man show with Peter Healy, Hardy & Nance Studios, Houston, TX2021, Texas Emerging: Volume II, Foltz Fine Art, Houston, TX2019, Studio E, Hardy & Nance Studios, Houston, TX2019, Exquisite: Works on Paper, Devin Borden Gallery, Houston, TX 2019, Joy of Painting, Devin Borden Gallery, Houston, TX 2018, Two man show with Peter Healy, Hardy & Nance Studios, Houston, TX2016, Five Sculptors, Devin Borden Gallery, Houston, TX 2015, Winter Exhibition, Devin Borden Gallery, Houston, TX 2015, Inherent Palette, Devin Borden Gallery, Houston, TX 2015, Go Big, Devin Borden Gallery, Houston, TX 2015, Mixed Doubles, Devin Borden Gallery, Houston, TX 2014, Selections, Devin Borden Gallery, Houston, TX 2013, Color Vision, Devin Borden Gallery, Houston, TX 2012, Ink+Graphite+Paint, Devin Borden Gallery, Houston, TX2012, Summer, Devin Borden Gallery, Houston, TX 2012, Table Top, Devin Borden Gallery, Houston, TX 2011, Use Your Illusion, Debra Colton Gallery, Houston, TX 2011, The Big Show, Lawndale Art Center, Houston, TX 2009, The Big Show, Lawndale Art Center, Houston, TX Honors and Awards2019, Bestiary, Devin Borden Gallery, Houston, TX (Glasstire’s Top 5 in Texas)2017, Argus, Devin Borden Gallery, Houston, TX (Glasstire’s Top 5 in Texas) 2011, The Big Show, Lawndale Art Center, Houston, TX (Finalist Winner) *ARTIST INTERVIEW