Matthew Sepielli: The Strange Bird Whose Nest I Am In

EXHIBITION DATES: september 2 - 27, 2025

RECEPTION: Thursday, september 4, 5 - 8 pm

Closing RECEPTION: Saturday, september 27, 4 - 6 pm

The Painting Center is pleased to present The Strange Bird Whose Nest I Am In, an exhibition of seven new paintings by Matthew Sepielli in the Main Gallery. The exhibition opens on Tuesday, September 2, and runs through Saturday, September 27, 2025. An opening reception will be held on Thursday, September 4, from 5 to 8 pm.

Conceived as a unified set, the works in this exhibit incorporate a diverse range of materials, including handmade casein, photo prints on aluminum, fabric dye, foam core, copper sheets, staples, screws, and various other forms of paint. Making use of these materials, Sepielli creates highly developed, tactile surfaces that cannot be easily understood in reproduction to encourage an in-person viewing experience. Created between 2024 and 2025, the seven paintings in this exhibit are rooted in diverse themes and art historical influences. Borrowing from folklore and historical disasters, personal and family history, Abstract Expressionism, Dada, and Hugo Ball (whose journal entries give this exhibit its title), Sepielli processes these themes and influences through material to create his paintings. The paintings in this exhibit are intended to be a visual concept album, comprising seven distinct tracks with varying times, speeds, and spaces, yet cohesive and unified.

An essay by the artist Keith Crowley will accompany this exhibition, along with a small publication.

Matthew Sepielli received his B.F.A. from Tyler School of Art, Temple University, and his M.F.A. from Bard College. He lives and works in Southeastern Pennsylvania.