Matt Rota, Gardeners of the Estate, 2020, pen & ink, 22”x24”
Wing — A Virtual Project Space
WEST WING
Matt Rota: The Estates
July 28th — August 25th, 2020
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Matt Rota is an illustrator, educator and author. He studied fine arts at the Maryland Institute College of Art, and illustration at the School of Visual Arts. His clients include The New York Times, Der Spiegel, Politico, Foreign Policy, The Washington Post, The New Republic, The Marshall Project, ProPublica, The Columbia Journalism Review, The Center for Investigative Journalism, Zeit, and The Guardian, amongst others. He is an instructor at The School of Visual Arts, and the Maryland Institute, College of Art. His drawings and prints have been exhibited internationally. He is the author of two books on drawing from Rockport Press, The Art of Ballpoint, and Pencil Arts Workshop.
This latest series of ink and gouache drawings by Matt Rota, titled “The Estates”, was inspired by a trip to India and Rota’s ongoing research into the history of colonial era agricultural expansion and the concurrent industrial development on the American continent and in India. Rota became specifically interested in the parallels between the founding of the United States, the expansion of colonialism within the Indian subcontinent in the 19th century, and the ongoing impact of this legacy.
Read Rota’s essay, “Matt Rota: Neo Colonialism and the Utopian Ideal,” here!