Matthew Garrett

First there was contraction. Then came expansion.
I rarely picked up a “real” camera during COVID, but I never put down my phone — while at home, and as I began to venture beyond the confines of our own property lines. That ever-present camera serves as a notebook for anything and everything that I need to remember, whether that’s a loved one’s face, a shopping list, or an appealing collection of visual shapes and structures.
Decades ago my work centered on finding the structure and form in my daily surroundings, but those formalist bounds loosened over time. Most recently, just by holding and using a different device to make photographs, that initial instinct returned.
Still, something seems different about these images. They celebrate structure (and structures), compress depth, reveal layers, and feel more succinct than previous efforts. To me, they stand out like the brief understandable phrase plucked from the din of a crowded event.

Matthew Garrett studied photography at Louisiana State University, before completing his BFA at Mount Allison University, in Canada. He then continued his education by working with Sean Kernan through most of the 1990’s. Garrett is a founding member of Kehler Liddell Gallery, and was one of the leaders of New Haven's Photo Arts Collective for its entire 20+ year lifespan.

Expansion:
March 17 - April 17, 2022


For Matthew Garrett, expansion came by seeing the world through a new lens. "I rarely picked up a "real" camera during COVID, but I never put down my phone," states Matthew. "The ever-present camera serves as a notebook for anything and everything that I need to remember, whether that's a loved one's face, a shopping list, or an appealing collection of visual shapes and structures."
Early in his career, Garrett's work centered on finding the structure and form in his daily surroundings, but those formalist bounds loosened over time. Most recently, just by holding and using a different device to make photographs, that initial instinct returned.
These new images celebrate structure (and structures). They compress depth, reveal layers, and feel more succinct than previous efforts. "To me, they stand out as the brief, understandable phrase plucked from the din of a crowded event."