Primer by Matthew Craven

One of our all time favorite books. Utilizing found images from textbooks along with his own geometric patterns, Matthew Craven’s collages and illustrations seek to create a new handmade universe, juxtaposing imagery from different cultures and time periods to celebrate commonalities. Photographs of archaeological remains and the natural world are overlaid on colorful textiles drawn on the back of vintage movie posters, to create a hypnotic and mesmerizing vernacular of symbols and designs. Featuring an introduction by LACMA curator Leslie Jones, PRIMER is the first publication of Craven’s art and a reconfiguration of traditional historical narratives inspired by obsessive formations.

Matthew Craven is a Los Angeles-based artist whose work centers around found imagery combined with hand-drawn geometric patterns. He has shown in galleries all over the world including, New York, Los Angeles, Amsterdam, and Switzerland. His work has been reviewed in notable outlets including The Huffington Post, Art Critical, and The Brooklyn Rail. In 2017, he was the artist-in-residence for the Marfa Myths Festival. PRIMER is the first monograph from Craven.