Matt Hansel

Brooklyn-based artist Matthew Hansel literally and figuratively deconstructs the historical painting, manipulating and folding his canvases to create a surreal and immersive visual experience. Layering imagery from classical painting with warped cartoons and trompe l'oeil figures, Hansel’s work plays with visual absurdity and challenges perspective. Says the artist of his paintings, “These are fake history paintings. More specifically, these are paintings of ceremonies that surround fictitious historic moments. These paintings speak to our need for communal activities and how those activities are being constantly redefined by history."


Hansel’s work has been shown at Wasserman Projects, Detroit, MI, Yuka Contemporary, Tokyo, Japan, The Art Center, Martinsburg, WV, Cerasoli Gallery, Culver City, CA, Jack the Pelican Presents, Brooklyn, NY, Gagosian Gallery, Athens, Greece, Hooper Projects, Los Angeles, CA, 1822 Fulton St, Brooklyn, and The Lodge Gallery, New York, among others. In 2011 Hansel received a grant from New York Foundation for the Arts.