Chaos/Order: Matt Devine’s Metal Sculptures

“I like the work to speak for itself,” Matt Devine has said. Looking at Matt Devine’s gravity defying metal sculptures, it is easy however to make associations to the basic geometric shapes and palette of Primary Abstraction, Minimalism, as well as mid-century Modernism. 

Devine’s preference of primary colors, loose angles, and controlled chaos is unique in its sensibility, however. Working out of Northern California, Devine is “drawn to the strength of [metal working], the speed of it, the immediate properties of it, and the strength of it as well.” This affinity for the material can be felt as well as seen in his work through a real sense of presence and a controlled manipulation of space.

A self-taught artist, Devine began his path as a fabricator at nineteen years old by working at woodshops, and then building sets at a playhouse. Learning the material, refining the tools, and working with his hands, Devine has developed a process which he finds akin to meditation. Devine references the natural world not only through his organic and fluid forms, but also by presenting the phenomena of regeneration and recycling. The artist uses leftover pieces from finished pieces as inspiration for the next sculpture. Working between dischord and order, symmetry and chaos, Devine strikes the right balance.