Matthew Langan-Peck, Four Ways, l’amour gagne, 11 September – 24 October 2020

Édouard Montassut is pleased to present Four Ways, l’amour gagne, an exhibition of new work by Matthew Langan-Peck. The exhibition, which is the artist’s second at the gallery, was scheduled to open one week after the Easter holiday but was postponed due to the Covid-19 global pandemic.

Langan-Peck’s previous presentation, in September of 2016, enlisted nearly ten inflatable and bent nail sculptures to take aim at notions of American heteropatriotism and the family values it enforces. Despite this effort, shortly after the exhibition’s close Donald Trump won the United States presidential election; a surprise victory that has destroyed relationships, disrupted notions of linear political progress, and destabilized the American democracy. Now, on the eve of another high-stakes election, Langan-Peck seems to sing a different tune.

The gallery’s courtyard entrance welcomes visitors with an homage to a viral political yard sign that begins with the phrase “IN THIS HOUSE WE BELIEVE:”. Inside, four large eggs are casually scattered into the corners of the room. The eggs are painted in a range of colors—one is a gorgeous pearlescent white, another a naturalistic freckled brown, and two in the back don exuberant patterns drawn from an American holiday craft blog. Is the organizing principle a collection of political ideals? A symbolic narrative? A study in contrasts? These questions spoil the meditative atmosphere of the room. The eggs rest quietly in low light, seeming to turn away and loop inward. Problems of transmission—intention, messaging, and impact—lie at their hollow core.