Dormitory dance

Artist Finley, Matthew American, b.1972

Date2024

MediumInkjet prints with hand applied elements (glitter, rhinestones, etc.)

DimensionsImage: 5 1/4 x 5 1/4 in. (13.3 x 13.3 cm)
Paper: 6 x 6 in. (15.2 x 15.2 cm)
Frame: 9 x 9 x 1 1/2 in. (22.9 x 22.9 x 3.8 cm)

Credit LineGift of the artist

Object number2024:6

About the ArtistMatthew Finley makes composed portraits that explore themes of queerness, mental health, and intimacy. His practice combines history with modernity as he draws inspiration from classical art, found photographs, and handcrafted photographic processes such as ambrotype and tintype. Finley’s images celebrate the beauty and connection found in vulnerability, telling Lenscratch in 2021 that “that connection is why I make art in the first place.”

These three images are from his series An Impossibly Normal Life (2020-2024) which recontextualizes found photographs of his late uncle who may have been gay. The vintage snapshots are embellished with glitter and rhinestones, referencing queer cultural histories of drag, disco, and camp. Rather than return to the hiding and secrecy of queer relationships throughout history, Finley imagined an idealized life for his uncle where he was able to live freely and joyously.

Matthew Finely studied acting and turned to photography as his new means of creative expression after his struggles with anxiety made auditioning difficult. His acting background informs the ethos of his practice, himself saying that “photography is also about expressing emotion and then eliciting emotion from the viewer.” Finley is a core member of Advanced Photography Critique Group at Center for Photography at Woodstock. He won the Juror Award in The Visual Armistice 10th Annual Juried Showcase. Matthew Finley’s work has been featured in exhibitions at Foley Gallery, New York; Los Angeles Center for Photography; and others. His images have also appeared in numerous publications including Oxford American, Shots Magazine, and Plates to Pixels. His work is in the permanent collections of Museum of Modern Art and History, Lancaster, CA and Center for Fine Art Photography, Fort Collins, CO.