Abstract Conceptual Photography Comes to Wartburg (Published 11-06-2017)

Abstract Conceptual Photography Comes to Wartburg

WILLCOONRADT STAFF WRITER

william.coonradt@wartburg.edu

The viewer should be able to interpret abstract artwork however they please, artist Matthew Terry

said.

The Wartburg College Art Gallery hosted Terry on Nov. 3. The exhibit features his abstract conceptual photography stretching back to late 2013 to early 2014. “I enjoy the process of doing all the hand-held images, I just like how hands on it is and how detailed it makes me have to become,” Terry said.

Terry enjoys this style of art due to the nature of abstract artwork. He said when the art is presented, the viewer then has the opportunity to come in and interpret it however they please. “I try to find scenes where you can see a clear difference between the original shot and the present day,” Terry said. “I try to let a couple months pass but sometimes it’s a couple years.”

As a regionally based photographer, a lot of Terry’s photos are recognizable to the students and faculty of Wartburg, Gallery Director and Exhibitions Manager Johanna Kramer-Weston said. “He’s a young up and coming artist,” Kramer-Weston said. “I am excited to give him this opportunity.”

“Keep yourself persistent,” Terry said. “There will be ups and downs and points where you completely question what you’re doing.” “Once you keep yourself passionate about what you’re doing and when you can get past those low points when the higher points come around it’s a lot more impactful,” Terry said. Terry can typically be found doing two to four exhibits each year.