Lonsdale Gallery is pleased to present that was then, this is now, a solo exhibition by Tyler Matheson – our inaugural presentation in the Incubator Project Space series.

Tyler Matheson that was then, this is now,
Incubator Project Space, Lonsdale Gallery

Parallax (Teal and Pink)
2020
tiling grout and spray paint on canvas
12 x 15 inches

Tyler Matheson that was then, this is now,
Incubator Project Space, Lonsdale Gallery

In his Parallax series, Matheson creates bold textured paintings utilizing industrial material, like tiling grout, which he then applies vivid chromatic hues to.

The artist utilizes thick and gestural applications of grout creating a rigid and uneven texture on the canvas. Then, Matheson spray paints opposing sides of the canvas with different fluorescent colours, creating an eye-catching illusory effect. Dependent on the position of the viewer in relation to the work, the colours change and morph.

Tyler Matheson that was then, this is now,
Incubator Project Space, Lonsdale Gallery

Parallax (Blue, Red, and Green)
2020
tiling grout and spray paint on board
13 x 16 inches

Parallax (Red and Blue)
2020
tiling grout and spray paint on board
13 x 16 inches

Tyler Matheson that was then, this is now,
Incubator Project Space, Lonsdale Gallery

“I was ten years old (maybe younger) when I was first ridiculed for the way I walked. It was then when I first realized another child saw me as other. Another boy identified the way that I moved my body as “girly,” he had determined that I was a homosexual. Instinctively, I realized that I must perform “boyness” to void further accusations.”

Tyler Matheson

Neither one thing nor the other
2019
lycra on wooden support
46 x 46 inches

The coarse ‘masculine’ exterior of the grout is juxtaposed to the tender and more yielding ‘feminine’ texture of the silicone. The artist pours and moulds the silicone – enveloping the entire board. The soft and smooth texture of the silicone evokes skin and the body. The pink is an exaggerated reference to the re-coding of queer sexuality stemming from the AIDS crisis. The alluring, almost campy, quality of the bright pink can be read as masking the various systems of control placed on queer bodies.

Tyler Matheson that was then, this is now,
Incubator Project Space, Lonsdale Gallery

Every plastic c*ck ever made
2019
sicione tined with latex pigment and acrylic paint on board
16 x 20 inches

Parallax (Pink and Blue)
2020
tiling grout and spray paint on canvas
10 x 12 inches

The artist would like to acknowledge the funding support from the Ontario Arts Council, an agency of the Government of Ontario. 

TYLER MATHESON is a research-based interdisciplinary artist exploring physical tensions between binaries, identity, orientation, and balance. 

Matheson seeks to address the gaps between the communicative intention of the artwork and the interpretation of it being in a state of constant flux. The viewer is the co-creator of dialogues based on their interpretation and their personal experiences with feelings of otherness. Using painting, sculpture, photography and installation strategies he creates multi-media artworks that engage with the performativity of found material or objects. His work engages narratives that consider utopia and ephemerality while activating space and the viewer. What the viewer interprets the work as furthers the dialogue and creates intersections for discussion of our experiences of the world. 

​Matheson completed his MFA at the University of Waterloo and his BFA in Painting and Photography at York University.