Goin’ Down, Down, Down

First monograph

Matthew Ronay’s art stems from life—from what we are, what we do, and how we live. Much of his work takes the crude realities of life and depicts them seemingly devoid of all emotion, reflecting in some ways our own contemporary society. The works in this exhibition are large assemblages of disparate and apparently mundane objects made primarily out of medium density fibreboard (MDF) and painted in bright colours. En masse these objects make a collective sense, yet equally, each one can stand alone. Above all, these assemblages function like stage sets on which the dramas of life are laid bare. Often, a scene will depict some gory circumstance, a narrative in need of an audience. With its strong compositional element, Ronay’s work can often read like a sentence or even a musical score, both familiar territories to Ronay. For as long as he has made art he has also played music, and he is an avid reader of innovative and unconventional literature, such as the writings of Raymond Roussel, Alain Robbe-Grillet, Raymond Queneau and George Perec.

Born in 1976, in Louisville, Kentucky, USA, Matthew Ronay now lives and works in New York.

Co-published with Parasol foundation for contemporary art, London.