Press 2002
New Art International Volume VIII
Catalog page · inferred: 2002–2003 (chronicle: New Art International Volume VIII, 2002–2003, page 17)
MATT SESOW
New Art International
Click a page to open it — scroll or pinch to zoom, drag to move.
Full text
Photographed by Matt Sesow from his press packets, October 18, 2026; text transcribed from the photos by Claude.
MATT SESOW
The essential appeal of the outsider spirit in art is robustly exemplified by the compelling impact of a Matt Sesow painting. His finest works tend to gather themselves to lunge at you and take root in unguarded channels of emotion.
Born in Omaha, Nebraska, Sesow spent time in the Solomon Islands as a Peace Corps volunteer. Having lost most of an arm in a childhood encounter with an aircraft propeller, he did not begin to pursue self-expression through pigment until his late 20's. Self-taught and unattracted by formal methods, Sesow has commanded widespread attention through exhibitions at Aud Art in New York City; The Institute of Contemporary Art in San Jose, CA; Beverly Kaye Gallery of Woodbridge, CT; Gallery 325 in Washington, DC; K2 Art in Sofia, Bulgaria; the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, DC and many other venues.
I am a self-taught artist and I paint every day. I like to use intense colors and sharp lines to tell a moving story...I enjoy the smell of linseed oil and turpentine as they fill my studio space. Painting takes all my energy and effort. It is the most important thing I do.
Captions:
Look Away 30" x 40" Oil on wc board
Marcos 30" x 40" Oil on stretched canvas
Assist the Resist 30" x 40" Oil on wc board
NEW ART INTERNATIONAL 17
Pictures · click to enlarge
From the press archive
Where this record comes from
- history.sesow.com (live, 2026-10-03)
- Matt Sesow press packet (photographed by Matt, 2026-10-18)
Cite as: Sesow, Matt. “New Art International Volume VIII.” Matt Sesow Career Chronicle, 2002. history.sesow.com/e/2002-new-art-international-volume-viii.html. Accessed [date].
Were you there? Do you have a photo, a clipping or a memory of this? Please write to sesow@sesow.com or use Ask Matt a question, and it will be added here.
Also in 2002
- Exhibition “Revelations and Reflections of American Self-Taught Artists”
- Exhibition The Arkansas Arts Center, Decorative Arts Museum, Little Rock, AR
- Exhibition Stedman Art Gallery, Rutgers, Camden, NJ
- Press Exhibition catalog, wall labels and teaching slide set for “Revelations and Reflections”
- Press Washington Post — “Summer Show Standouts” names Sesow among the standout entrants in a juried summer…
- Exhibition “Friend or Foe,” Stone’s Breath Gallery, Ocean View, DE
- Exhibition CDW — CD Warehouse Gallery, 30th and M Street, Georgetown, Washington, DC
- Exhibition Windows at 14th and G, downtown Washington, DC
- Exhibition “In Response,” national juried exhibition, SCAD Red Gallery, Savannah, GA
- Exhibition “9/11 Memorial Exhibition,” 291 Broadway, New York City
- Exhibition “Artists With — disAbilities,” America Oh Yes!, Washington, DC
- Exhibition FASA — Folk Art Society of America event, Savannah, GA, curated by Joe Adams at “America Oh Yes” gallery
- Award Best in Show — Viewpoint Gallery, national juried exhibition, Schenectady, NY
- Award 2nd Place Award — Adams Morgan Day, Washington, DC
- Milestone GeekCorps Bulgaria — travels to Sofia to assist Bulgarian software industry; paints prolifically
- Exhibition “Held Ransom,” Gallery Three, San Pedro, CA
- Exhibition “OUTSIDE/IN: Visionary Artists and Virginia Collectors,” Contemporary Art Center, Virginia Beach, VA
- Exhibition Regional Juried Show — “To the Nth Degree,” Touchstone Gallery, Washington, DC
- Exhibition “Join Hands” in “Breaking the Walls of Bias: Art from Survivors,” Hofstra Museum (2002)
- Media “Voices from the Fringe” — lecture on Outsider Art, The New School, New York City
- Press Folk Art Messenger — Summer/Fall 2002, painting donated to benefit FASA
- Press Folk Art Messenger — Winter 2002
- Press Interview with GetUnderground.com
- Press Nonprofit Magazine — “Enron” painting published full page
- Press Big News Magazine — cover and inside, homeless benefit magazine, New York City
- Press The Northwest Current, Washington, DC
- Exhibition “Our Undies Are Showing,” OXOXO Gallery, 1617 Sulgrave Avenue, Baltimore, MD
- Exhibition Meridian International Center, White-Meyer House, Washington, DC
- Exhibition DC Commission Grant Fellowship exhibition, MOCA DC, Washington, DC
- Exhibition “Creativity Gone Wild: Outsider Art Comes In,” Exhibit A Gallery, Savannah College of Art and Design…
- Exhibition “Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory,” Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, GA
- Exhibition “Splash,” Imagine Art Gallery, Austin, TX
- Exhibition SOWEBO Festival, 100 South Stricker Street, Baltimore, MD
- Exhibition Artist fair on the Corcoran lawn, Corcoran Museum, Washington, DC
- Exhibition Paintings featured at the Horizon Ballroom, Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, 1300…
- Exhibition Continuous representation — K2 Art, Sofia, Bulgaria
- Exhibition Continuous representation — East End Gallery, Appleton, WI; Lois Zetter Gallery, Carlsbad, CA; and Sardine…
- Media Short films screened in “All Small,” eyedrum gallery, Atlanta, GA
- Exhibition Art-O-Matic 2002, the former EPA headquarters, 401 M Street SW, Washington, DC
- Press Washington City Paper — “Heist-O-Rama” by Bradford McKee