I ♥ Matthew Kern: Pushing Polaroid as a medium

When I first came across the work of Matthew Kern, I was initially struck by the sheer scale, of the Polaroids when assemblemd into collages, as well as the degree of physical labour that goes into creating many of the pieces. A labour that, while testifying to the physicality of the medium, also seems to circumvent it by the inclusion of many additional elements of painting and etching.

Matthew's mentions in his statement, “I peel the Polaroid film from it’s encasement and alter the images through a variety of applications. I etch into the emulsion. Using charcoal, pencil, ink transfers, markers, paint and a number of other mediums, I alter the image front and back.” Such a processes engage with the Polaroid in a very physical way, almost as if the Polaroid is a canvas rather than the location of an image. Pushing the Polaroid boundaries further has never been so exciting!

We Slowly Walked Polaroid Type 600 BW/Mixed Media on Canvas. 2009

A One Way Conversation About the Shootout at Memory Park
Polaroid Type SX-70/Mixed Media on Canvas. 2008

http://matthewkern.com/