My work explores the possibilities and outcomes of cumulative mark-making, alongside the accidental beauty of found objects, detritus, and chance. The slow accumulation of marks—an ongoing thread throughout much of my work on paper—transforms a drawing from an image into an object. Despite their flatness, these pieces function differently than traditional drawing, which often relies on semiotic or referential meaning. The time spent on each piece imbues it with a sense of humanity and the labour-intensive process returns my focus to the immediate present. In this way, my work becomes a meditation on time—a conscious attempt to create something that resists the utilitarian system of meaning and purpose that governs much of everyday life.

Matt Trahan holds a BFA from The University of Western Ontario (2009) and an MFA from The University of Victoria (2012). In 2019, he opened an independent art gallery and project space called Empty Gallery, which showcased the work of various emerging and mid-career artists from across Canada before closing in 2021 due to the pandemic. He currently lives and works in Victoria, BC on the traditional lands of the Lekwungen-speaking peoples.