Summoning the Spirit

Synonymous with independence, adventure, and rugged individualism, the American West occupies a mythic space within the fantastical realms of the American Dream. Nestled within the vast landscape replete with verdant mountains, shimmering deserts, and fields of tall grass where the buffalo roam, lies buried treasures of oil and gold. For centuries, countless men and women have risked it all to find fame and fortune in the Wild West, whether hitting the trail to become cowboys, prospectors, or Hollywood stars.

Throughout his career, multimedia artist Matt McCormick has devoted himself to an ongoing exploration of the American psyche as shaped by the spirit of the West. Drawn to wild horses and muscle cars alike, McCormick embraces archetype and paradox with equal panache. He carefully considers the relationship between nostalgia and history, examining the ways in which desire and longing recast the past in a glittering patina of fable and fantasy that stands in sharp contrast to harsher realities embedded in centuries of land conquest, settler colonialism, and rapid industrialization of the natural environment.

McCormick’s latest work,Another Dream (Summon the Spirit), a custom installation at the new Jacques Marie Mage gallery and store in Hollywood, features a sculpture of two Mustangs — one horse, one car — locked in the age-old battle of “Man vs. Machine.” Working in fiberglass, aluminum, bondo, rubber, glass, lead, copper, magnesium, plastic, leather, and steel, McCormick sources materials that reflect that physical reality of the open terrain. Flanked by two oil paintings of the same theme, McCormick considers both sides of an enduring struggle for power that has long shaped American life.

“The two subjects of the work have been referenced throughout my practice in different series in many separate ways, but have never clashed as they do so literally within this piece,” says McCormick. “As an observer and participant of a society that is constantly and continuously going down a highway of intense polarization, I couldn’t help but take pleasure in creating a work that questioned each side of the divide without taking an obvious stance on the issues they raise.”

Drawn to multi-layered narratives that reveal the complexities, contradictions, and contrasts of our culture amid its most revered symbols of freedom and strength, here McCormick shares his journey to create this singular work that looks at two sides of the same coin locked in a timeless battle for domination.

JMM: How did the concept forAnother Dream (Summon the Spirit)come about?Matt McCormick (MM): About two years ago, I was alone in a room with Walter De Maria’sBel Air Trilogy. Here was this classic, brutally American car sitting in a museum in Milan owned by a European luxury fashion house (Prada), and the tire touching the floor jumped out at me in this very beautiful way. Like many objects of design, the tires — and really the entire car — can exist on multiple levels of appreciation, functionality, and general purpose. At their base level, their job is to get you from one place to another but they can become so much more than that. There are entire subcultures built around these worlds, like classic cars, muscle cars, sports cars, trucks, etc. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

When Jerome [Mage, founder of JMM] reached out about making a work I almost immediately thought of this moment and how I could make my own contribution using the elements that stood out to me in the BelAir Trilogy.

Anyone who knows me well knows how much of an impact Richard Prince’s work has had on me. He was one of the first artists that I gravitated toward when I dove head first into trying to understand how to create artworks. While reading John McWhinnie’s essay fromThe Fug, I had an “aha” moment when he compared Prince’s work to a teenage boy’s bedroom walls. HisHoodsseries, where car hoods became beautiful abstract paintings using materials found in a garage, stood out to me on a conceptual and materials level.

EXPLORING THE AMERICAN PSYCHE WITH ARTIST MATT MCCORMICK.

Throughout his career, multimedia artist Matt McCormick has devoted himself to an ongoing exploration of American iconography, as shaped by the spirit of the West. His latest work, Another Dream (Summon the Spirit), a custom installation at the new Jacques Marie Mage Gallery in Hollywood, features a sculpture of two Mustangs — one horse, one car — locked in the age-old battle of “Nature vs. Machine.”

Synonymous with independence, adventure, and rugged individualism, the American West occupies a mythic space within the fantastical realms of the American Dream. Nestled within the vast landscape replete with verdant mountains, shimmering deserts, and fields of tall grass where the buffalo roam, lies buried treasures of oil and gold. For centuries, countless men and women have risked it all to find fame and fortune in the Wild West, whether hitting the trail to become cowboys, prospectors, or Hollywood stars.

Throughout his career, multimedia artist Matt McCormick has devoted himself to an ongoing exploration of the American psyche as shaped by the spirit of the West. Drawn to wild horses and muscle cars alike, McCormick embraces archetype and paradox with equal panache. He carefully considers the relationship between nostalgia and history, examining the ways in which desire and longing recast the past in a glittering patina of fable and fantasy that stands in sharp contrast to harsher realities embedded in centuries of land conquest, settler colonialism, and rapid industrialization of the natural environment.

McCormick’s latest work, Another Dream (Summon the Spirit), a custom installation at the new Jacques Marie Mage gallery and store in Hollywood, features a sculpture of two Mustangs — one horse, one car — locked in the age-old battle of “Man vs. Machine.” Working in fiberglass, aluminum, bondo, rubber, glass, lead, copper, magnesium, plastic, leather, and steel, McCormick sources materials that reflect that physical reality of the open terrain. Flanked by two oil paintings of the same theme, McCormick considers both sides of an enduring struggle for power that has long shaped American life.

“The two subjects of the work have been referenced throughout my practice in different series in many separate ways, but have never clashed as they do so literally within this piece,” says McCormick. “As an observer and participant of a society that is constantly and continuously going down a highway of intense polarization, I couldn’t help but take pleasure in creating a work that questioned each side of the divide without taking an obvious stance on the issues they raise.”

Drawn to multi-layered narratives that reveal the complexities, contradictions, and contrasts of our culture amid its most revered symbols of freedom and strength, here McCormick shares his journey to create this singular work that looks at two sides of the same coin locked in a timeless battle for domination.

JMM: How did the concept for Another Dream (Summon the Spirit)come about?

Matt McCormick (MM): About two years ago, I was alone in a room with Walter De Maria’s Bel Air Trilogy. Here was this classic, brutally American car sitting in a museum in Milan owned by a European luxury fashion house (Prada), and the tire touching the floor jumped out at me in this very beautiful way. Like many objects of design, the tires — and really the entire car — can exist on multiple levels of appreciation, functionality, and general purpose. At their base level, their job is to get you from one place to another but they can become so much more than that. There are entire subcultures built around these worlds, like classic cars, muscle cars, sports cars, trucks, etc. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

When Jerome [Mage, founder of JMM] reached out about making a work I almost immediately thought of this moment and how I could make my own contribution using the elements that stood out to me in the Bel Air Trilogy.

Anyone who knows me well knows how much of an impact Richard Prince’s work has had on me. He was one of the first artists that I gravitated toward when I dove head first into trying to understand how to create artworks. While reading John McWhinnie’s essay from The Fug, I had an “aha” moment when he compared Prince’s work to a teenage boy’s bedroom walls. His Hoods series, where car hoods became beautiful abstract paintings using materials found in a garage, stood out to me on a conceptual and materials level.

With Another Dream (Summon The Spirit), I wanted to take the conversations started by De Maria and Prince, combining elements of their materiality with ideas around society’s ongoing venture into machine dependence. For the sculpture, it was important that the two mustangs look the same on a material level so that the viewer would see them as equals in the age-old battle of “Man vs. Machine”. One can pick sides; are your bets on the horse or the car — or will you just rubberneck at a car crash?

Alongside the sculpture, there are two oil paintings that I made to complete the work: ‘Here’s A Quarter (Call Someone Who Cares)’ and ‘So Begins the Task’. On a base level, they can be viewed as individual propaganda supporting each side in the “battle”; on further inspection, they can be viewed as a moment to dissect the sides, finding their strengths and weaknesses to potentially pick a side or just stand to the side and watch the melee.

JMM: What real and symbolic importance do you find in the mustang (horse) and the Mustang (car)?

MM: The horse is an outlier of the animal kingdom. On one hand, they have been highly important in the evolution of man in their domestication. On the other hand, they have existed within American culture on the same plane as the eagle: a symbolic representation of power and or freedom. In the lineage of travel, it can be argued that the horse is equally as important as the creation of the wheel. For centuries they were the motors that propelled wheeled vehicles as well as the vehicles themselves

Outside of this sentiment, one can find a majestic quality about them that is hard to put into words. Within American culture, they are a transcendent figure, whether as part of the working class and cowboy realm where they serve as a utilitarian participant or their posh role in the ‘horse and pony show’ of the wealthier class. Like the car, they exist in so many ways, within so many different cultures. The Mustang car’s meaning is similar to that of the horse, just the newer 20th-century forward version. The advancements in cars as a vehicle changed the world and allowed society to push forward as the horses did before them. There are practical purposes attached to them and subcultures built around them. A car can say a lot about someone’s personality, as well as their chosen or unchosen purpose and place in this world.

Outside of the practical and historical relevance, I find the connections to subcultures fascinating. From the daily driver to the weekend cruiser, American culture has long been obsessed with their vehicles almost to a fault. They have been a symbol of a divide between social and political classes, as well as a lifestyle accessory. The differences in our choices continue to deepen and it will be a long time before we move on from this.

JMM: How does context come into play in terms of how the piece operates (or takes on meaning) in this specific space?

MM: “I’m always trying to find ways to integrate art into more places and parts of life. Art doesn’t only need to exist in galleries and institutions. As much as I respect this part of the viewing experience, there is plenty of room for exploring more ways to engage and present work.

The meaning of Another Dream (Summon The Spirit) doesn’t necessarily change depending on where it is placed. The main goal of its placement is to exist where people can interact and connect to it. In alternative locations, there is more of a happenstance chance of someone interacting with the work that may have not otherwise. This allows for conversations and experiences with the work that extends outside of the traditional expectations of what is and can be.”