Matthew McQuillan

Matthew McQuillan was born in 1982 in Bristol (UK). He lives and works in London (UK).

Through writing, performance, and installation, Matthew McQuillan draws on both personal experiences and found materials. He focuses on overlooked elements such as a landscape of trash on a Los Angeles street, a hastily dismissed comment on YouTube, or a person’s emotional response to a lost pet. These elements carry ambiguous and sometimes contradictory feelings, such as concern, anxiety, inertia, and hysteria. McQuillan examines the mechanisms at play in these affects and how they shape our social and personal relationships. His practice frequently engages with situations and scenarios where our ability to act is momentarily suspended, obstructed, or blurred. In recent years, his work has also expanded to curating exhibitions and thematic events as an additional means of exploring his ideas.

Matthew McQuillan earned his Master’s degree from Goldsmiths University in 2010. He is based in London and currently teaches at London Metropolitan University. His recent exhibitions and events include A Public Resource, Cubitt (upcoming, London, UK); Bottom Natures, GCP (London, UK); Concerning the Bodyguard, The Tetley (Leeds, UK); Soft Evidence, Legion TV (London, UK); and Winter Escape, Common House (London, UK).