Art as a Universal Language: Matt King’s Becoming Light

We are thrilled to announce the opening of Matt King: Becoming Light on September 8, 2023, only at [CONTAINER] Turner Carroll.

Matt King was an artist of singular vision. Best known as a founding force in the iconic and groundbreaking Meow Wolf enterprises, his creative genius allowed him to envision never before seen artistic experiences. Matt King: Becoming Light is the first solo exhibition by King and a unique opportunity to understand this beloved artist. [CONTAINER] has worked closely with his family and loved ones, and this exhibition featuring 40 works created over more than 20 years is curated by Han Santana-Sayles, King’s partner and Meow Wolf’s Director of Artist Collaboration.

From Meow Wolf’s founding in 2008, King worked on 34 projects, many as the lead artist. His personal practice incorporates his signature dense and bold phosphorescent colors swirling into two-dimensional paintings. His sculptural works were part of his continued exploration of neon while using whatever materials best fit the gestures and lines. Using spray paint, house paint, acrylic, oil, and even crayon, King constructed immersive worlds that invite others to step inside. In the most recent works from early 2022, King realized he needed to punch through the flat pictorial surface and make his paintings come alive, bending neon into the shape of painted lines, drilling through the wooden panel, and marrying the neon “brush strokes” to the painting. The pop of everything is underscored by dark, almost caravaggesque underpainting. The resulting works are thrilling to view and a pure expression of King’s joyful, creative impulse. 

“We are honored to introduce a side of Matt’s art that hasn’t been shared before,” said Tonya Turner Carroll, Gallery Principal at [CONTAINER]. “This exhibition celebrates the mind and spirit of this gifted pioneer, who, like many prescient artists before, such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Egon Schiele, or Frida Kahlo, revolutionized our understanding of art and left us far too soon.”

A seeker and philosopher, King’s work mirrors his voracious consumption of religious texts and mythologies in an attempt to understand how different people make sense of the world. His unbridled compositions reflect the awe of the miracles of existence, spiritual parables, and the Big Bang. You can see his intellectual navigation through the circuitry of the works and his physical, spiritual, and creative searching in the densely painted visual networks. This exhibition encapsulates the celebratory and spiritual practice of creating art. As William Blake wrote, “Prayer is the study of art. Praise is the practice of art.”

“Matt King was my partner, my love, my guide. We worked side-by-side at Meow Wolf for nearly five years,” shared Santana-Sales. “I’m Meow Wolf’s primary curator and Matt was the co-founder of Meow Wolf, the Creative Director and visionary behind many of our most iconic installations. Curating this show is as much an exploration of Matt the artist, a profoundly significant figure in the trajectory of immersive installation art history, as much as it is a tender journey to uncover the center of his heart through his work.”

[CONTAINER] is honored to partner with those closest to King to be a vessel for the commemoration of King’s creating force and his visions of joyous light in Matt King: Becoming Light.