On March 31, 1884, the Village of Newburgh became New York’s second municipality to receive electricity, just two years after New York City. On September 14, 2024, Matthew Lusk achieved a similarly electrifying milestone by launching his solo show, Encyclopedia of Light (Today in Two Parts), an outstanding exhibition running through December 1 at Elijah Wheat Showroom in Newburgh, NY.
A Detroit native currently residing in Newburgh, Lusk employs meticulous processes to transmute the mundane into the poetic, compelling viewers to reassess the latent potential and intrinsic value of overlooked everyday materials. His artistic practice is predicated on reclaiming discarded objects and re-contextualizing them into profound and insightful installations. As the title suggests, the exhibition unfolds in two parts: the first presents an immersive, suspended series of eight floating installations from Encyclopedia of Light (2016-2024), and the second “grounded” section consists of two rooms featuring paintings, collages, sculptures, and installations.
Within the expansive gallery space, the artist’s thematic exploration is articulated in three sections: the first focuses on everyday life and activities, the second examines the inevitability of death, and the third engages with memento mori, commemorative practices, and monumental representations. Through this tripartite examination, Lusk’s work invites a profound reflection on the cyclic nature of life and death, intertwining the quotidian with the existential.
Inspired by the quintessential light displays found in traditional hardware stores and lighting emporiums, the Encyclopedia of Light series is comprised of unembellished panels suspended from the ceiling by chains and adorned with an array of lighting fixtures, found objects, and arcane, anthropomorphic characters. Encyclopedia pays homage to these commercial institutions and recontextualizes the mundane into a medium of artistic investigation, exploring the interplay between functionality and aesthetic form. Through this endeavor, the artist invites viewers into a labyrinthine odyssey of visual and conceptual illumination.
Upon entering the gallery’s spacious main room, the viewer is greeted by the first of eight whimsical suspended vignettes, Encyclopedia of Light #23. Reminiscent of The Wizard of Oz, this piece showcases a pair of antique brass two-arm chandeliers, each with fluted globes that emit a warm yellow and white glow, beside a stylized tornado that encircles a wooden oil derrick. The arrangement relies solely on geometry and gravity for support, with no visible fasteners linking the components, enhancing the piece’s magical and unearthly atmosphere.
Another compelling suspended tableau, Encyclopedia of Light #27, features the largest selection of lighting fixtures and beckons the viewer from further within the room. The installation presents an enigmatic cloaked figure—a recurring character in Lusk’s installations—that is a combination of a vagabond, a blind man, and a seer, lighting the way with a lamp from an outstretched arm.
Each of the eight vignettes presents an immersive and rewarding experience, meriting every moment of the viewer’s engagement. When asked about his choice of the number eight for his installations, the artist referenced the early labor movement slogan “Eight hours for work, eight hours for play, eight hours for what we will” as a profound influence. The eight tableaux feature scarecrow-like figures alongside Escher-inspired structures, each serving as a physical avatar of the artist within the conceptual milieu.
These components collectively form a distinctive “Minor Arcana”—a subset of tarot cards emblematic of quotidian experiences that provide guidance for life situations. This infusion of esoteric and divinatory elements imbues the work with a layered, mystical dimension. Lusk’s Encyclopedia evokes an expansive and open-ended inquiry with numerous potential digressions and appendices akin to the vast knowledge repositories in encyclopedias.
The second room is distinguished by a series of poignant and evocative paintings titled Nightfishing. These works serve as an homage to Palestinian fishermen who, at the break of dawn, return to their nets to evade enemy fire. Rendered in encaustic over enamel on panel, the series is marked by vivid splashes of chrome yellow and cadmium red, set against ephemeral fishing net motifs that intermittently come into and fade out of focus. The bright yellow and red dashed lines evoke images of phosphorescent bioluminescence, vibrant schools of fish, and the unsettling presence of tracer fire. The riveting Nightfishing series, with its intricate spatial matrix and vibrant, abbreviated lines, opens itself to an alternative interpretation, evoking the imagery of distant constellations.
As viewers transition to the second and third rooms, their gaze shifts from the celestial to the terrestrial. Here, Lusk’s works are thoughtfully arranged on the floor and walls, creating a dialogue between the vertical and horizontal planes of the gallery space. Among the outstanding selection of works presented in these last two rooms, Phantom Limb and Lightning Bolts stand out.
Referencing the Urban Renewal project that devastated Newburgh and other Hudson Valley cities in the 1960s and early 1970s, Phantom Limb consists of two separate pieces that feature scattered piles of broken bricks collected from the banks of the Hudson River. Brightly glazed fragments glisten among the tawny piles of bricks that once were dumped into the river during the Urban Renewal project. The weathered bricks are reassembled here as phantom limbs, tingling with intermittent bursts of color.
Lightning Bolts presents a highly structured grid of interlocking rectangular blocks in various shades of gray, black, and subtle off-white, with faint hints of pinks and browns. The palette of grayscale tones with accents of dark blacks and pale whites suggests the passage from life (light) to death (darkness), reinforcing the inevitability of mortality. The grays serve as an intermediate space, perhaps representing the unknown or the state between life and death.
The subtle blushes of pink are intriguing, potentially symbolizing faint remnants of life, a reminder of the body and flesh that will inevitably fade. The methodical repetition of the rectangular blocks suggests a cycle or rhythm, much like the ticking of a clock or the steady beat of a heart. This repetitive structure can imply the inescapable progression of time, each block a “moment” leading to an eventual end.
Questioning the promise of the American Dream with a combination of dark humor and bright despair, Lusk’s practice is deeply embedded in an ethic of conscientious consumption, reflective of a profound commitment to sustainability. The artist’s oeuvre is also shaped by the exigencies of financial limitations, navigating a philosophical approach that emphasizes resourcefulness and the ingenious utilization of available materials. Through his work, Lusk invites an erudite contemplation on the synergistic relationship between art, sustainability, and the economics of material existence.
With a nod and a wink to Marcel Duchamp, Maurizio Cattelan, and Joan Cornellà, Encyclopedia of Light invites a multi-faceted exploration of artistic representation and symbolism. Through Lusk’s amalgamation of form and meaning, the ordinary transcends its mundane existence and morphs into extraordinary tableaux that challenge perceptions and ignite the imagination. Throughout the exhibition, the viewer is engaged in the act of looking up and then down, mirroring an esoteric journey of enlightenment and grounding akin to the process of transformation. This movement symbolizes the human quest for higher understanding and the subsequent return to earthly realities, reflecting the alchemical stages of ascension and manifestation.
A mesmerizing odyssey through the dualities of existence—light and shadow, aspiration and reality, and life and death—Encyclopedia of Light (Today in Two Parts) beckons viewers to contemplate the interwoven threads of spiritual ascension and grounded reality.
Photos courtesy of Elijah Wheat Showroom.
Matthew Lusk, Encyclopedia of Light (Today in Two Parts) , Through December 1st, 2024
About the writer: Eva Zanardi is a freelance writer, independent curator, and owner of Visitor Center, a contemporary art gallery located in Newburgh, NY. Her writing has been featured in various publications, including Flash Art, White-Hot Magazine, Widewalls, and Art & Object Magazine, among other international print and online media. Prior to relocating to Upstate NY, Eva founded and directed GR Gallery, which was known for its cutting-edge contemporary art exhibitions in New York City. Additionally, she serves as the President and Senior Advisor of EZartconsultingnyc, a private art consultancy that specializes in modern and contemporary art. Her latest project, In and Out of Lineage: Tracing Artistic Heritage Through SUNY New Paltz Faculty, an exhibition Zanardi guest-curated for The Samuel Dorsky Museum, is currently on view until December 8, 2024.
Support Art Spiel! Your tax-deductible contribution to the 2024 Art Spiel Fall Fundraising campaign ensures that we continue to give artists a voice and bring you the art coverage you love. Make your tax-deductible donation today and help Art Spiel continue to thrive.