Kayla Mattes: DOOMSCROLLING

Curator | Rachel Winter

Dates | February 3, 2024 – August 18, 2024

Venue | MSU Broad Art Museum

Address | 547 E Circle Dr, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA

Events | Fri, Feb 2, 2024, 2024 Winter Opening Party 6.00 pm

Thurs, 4 April, 2024 Artist Talk: Kayla Mattes 6.00 pm

(Registration for this free event is encouraged)

In the new solo exhibition organized by the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum at Michigan State University, Kayla Mattes’ DOOMSCROLLING explores the current moment with a sense of humour and cynicism through her intricately woven compositions formed by warp and weft. Her hand-woven tapestries embrace the narrative and technological history embedded in the act of materialising thread into the woven grid, and act as archival works that document the complexity of human behaviour in an age driven by technology and online culture.

Previously shown in Asia Art Center’s Taipei and Beijing galleries in 2023, the tapestry DOOMSCROLL not only inspired the title but also acts as the core theme for Mattes’ new solo exhibition. The original concept of modern-day consumption of digital culture is expanded to further address its additive and sometimes harmful nature that is constantly present in our daily lives. Asia Art Center is pleased to announce the acquisition of this significant work by MSU Broad Art Museum, as DOOMSCROLL becomes part of the institution’s permanent collection.

Mattes’ tapestries are richly donned with instantly recognizable motifs, including emojis, navigation buttons, memes and texts which are highly relatable and immensely addictive. The seemingly subtle and comical references carry messages which are cynical, satirical and critical of the current society. They invite the viewers to slow down and temporarily escape from screen-culture to reflect on their inner-selves.

Born in Lancaster, CA in 1989, Mattes’ recent solo exhibitions include Cute Cat Theory with Asia Art Center in Taipei (2023) and Cat-astrophe with Richard Heller Gallery in Los Angeles (2019); and group exhibitions with Asia Art Center in Beijing (2023), Charlie James Gallery in Los Angeles (2023) and Weaving Data at Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art in Portland (2023). The artist also has two forthcoming solo exhibitions with Badr El Jundi Gallery in Madrid (2024) and Charlie James Gallery in Los Angles (2025), respectively. She is one of 20 weavers included in the book, Weaving: Contemporary Makers on the Loom, published in 2018 by the Brussels-based art book publisher Ludion. Mattes received a BFA in Textiles from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2011 and an MFA from University of California, Santa Barbara in 2019. She currently lives and works in Los Angeles, California.