Matt Siber

Floating Logos is one project in a career that examines visual culture, advertising, infrastructure, branding and public space. My critique stems from advertising as the engine of consumerist desire. From these earlier projects using photography and digital imaging, my work has expanded to include video, sculpture and installation.

Inspired by the proliferation of very tall signs in the American Mid-West, Floating Logos seeks to draw attention to this often overlooked form of advertising.  Perched atop very tall poles or stanchions, these corporate beacons emit their message by looming over us in their glowing, plastic perfection.  Elimination of the support structure in the photographs allows the signs to literally float above the earth.

Making the signs appear to float not only draws attention to this type of signage but also gives them, and the companies that put them there, an otherworldly quality.  References can be drawn to religious iconography, the supernatural, popular notions of extraterrestrials, or science fiction films such as Blade Runner.  Each of these references refer to something that can profoundly affect our lives yet is just beyond our control and comprehension.

Matt Siber (b.1972) is a visual artist based in Chicago, IL. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in History and Geography from the University of Vermont, and an MFA in Photography from Columbia College Chicago. He has a background in commercial photography but is primarily a gallery artist working in photography, digital imaging, video, installation and sculpture. He has had solo exhibitions in Madrid, Berlin and Chicago among other venues. His artwork is part of many private and public permanent collections including The Art Institute of Chicago, The Museum of Contemporary Photography, and The Bidwell Foundation. He is represented by Galerie f 5,6 in Munich.  His work has been published internationally in such publications as ArtForum, Sculpture Magazine, Flash Art, Aperture and EXIT Magazine and his work has received grants from the David C. and Sarajean Ruttenberg Arts Foundation, the Aaron Siskind Foundation and the Illinois Arts Council. Siber is a member of the part-time faculty of The School of The Art Institute of Chicago.