Today we’d like to introduce you to Max Mather.
Hi Max, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I grew up with generations of creativity in my family, but it took me a while to see myself as an artist, at least professionally. In the beginning of 2020 I had just left an office job that left me very unsatisfied. I took advantage of the pause on life the pandemic allowed for and enrolled in community college classes for graphic design. I enjoyed creating art with a computer, but I became curious about other software outside of the Adobe Creative Suite.
I began researching different methods of creating art with technology and discovered the Open Source community, which emphasizes the creation and free use of digital tools that can be adapted for individual creative purposes. This model of creation changed my perspective about what digital art encompasses – I become interested in creating artist experiences that invite people to interact with them, use sensory input to create responsive changes, and generate new results over time. In 2021 I was accepted to The University of Denver’s Emergent Digital Practices (EDP) MFA program. EDP emphasizes the ethical boundaries of creating art with contemporary digital tools. The program critically engages with the software they teach – emphasizing Open Source models. In the next school year, I will complete my Master’s Thesis – involving a solo exhibition of my artwork that I will coordinate with local gallery to schedule and install. This emphasis on experiential learning is what has allowed me to be proactive in seeking public opportunities to feature my artwork during the pursuit of my degree.
In 2022 I was accepted to the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver’s Creators Cohort – a summer-long workshop experience designed for artists at the beginning of their careers. Through connections in the Creator’s Cohort, I was hired to do the branding for the 2022 and 2023 editions of Denver Startup Week. Getting to produce art that serves as a backdrop for the most prominent entrepreneurs, investors, and politicians of the region ranks among the greatest professional honors I’ve had to date. The Denver Startup Week team also emphasizes the work of local emerging artists and creatives in their branding process – each year they are incredibly receptive to the concepts I bring them.
Many of my professional successes can be attributed to my connection to the arts organization Denver Digerati. I became connected with Denver Digerati in 2022 when they featured an interactive coding piece I made in their festival. I have continued to have a professional relationship with the organization since then, including a residency I did with them early in 2023, which culminated in a live audio/visual performance with my friend and collaborator Austin Solminski. In July of 2023 the Denver Digerati team curated a series my animations for the Denver Art Museum’s “Untitled” Series. My animations ran for one night in two different buildings in the museum, including a projection on the iconic asymmetrical walls of the Hamilton Building. Most recently, Meow Wolf’s Convergence Station in Denver curated an animation I created – called “GEMINI” – to be screened in their movie theatre. The animation was selected from submissions sent by the Denver Digerati team.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I’ve struggled with letting imposter syndrome hold me back. There have been many times that I felt like I didn’t deserve opportunities I’ve been given or felt like I’m not as deserving as other people in the room. As I’ve gone on in my career I’ve learned the difference between spaces that push me out of my comfort zone versus spaces that make me feel uncomfortable or like an outsider. I’ve come to have appreciation for events, galleries, and curators who take the time to make artists and patrons within the space feel comfortable and welcome.
One of the hardest things I’ve struggled with is not saying yes to everything. As an artist, you develop a scarcity principle when it comes to opportunities – it’s difficult when you’re first starting out to decide where to focus your energy, what avenues will be the most productive. As I’ve gone on in my career I’ve learned how to be selective with the opportunities I apply for and accept. It’s great to be the person who says yes to everything… until you’ve overcommitted yourself and end up not following through – this runs through many creative and artistic networks. As I’ve progressed in my career I’ve learned to be selective. Sometimes you want to get involved with a project, but you still need to be mindful of your other commitments. It can be difficult not to overcommit. Learning how to balance my energy with commitments like these has been one of the biggest challenges I’ve faced as an artist.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My art practice is narrative driven and often interactive; producing interactive projections, live visual performances, and multimedia installations. Through my art practice I explore how human bodies – specifically gender queer bodies – are distorted by inaccuracies and biases encoded within digital systems. My practice involves 3D scanning my body (and the bodies of others) and abstracting these scans with a signature method. This artistic process produces characters that I bring into the world in the form of animations, augmented reality experiences, and 3D printed sculptures. My 3D scanning and editing process has become a distinct visual style in my work. These characters have been featured on the public LED display screens around Denver, The Sie Film Center, The Denver Art Museum, and Meow Wolf’s Convergence Station.
I use a low-fidelity form of 3D scanning to exaggerate emergent inaccuracies within the resulting scans, reflecting how queer bodies are read imperfectly and incompletely by digital and political systems. When editing the scans, I inflate, pinch, and smooth the bodies. The resulting forms end up completely unrecognizable from their original scans – paralleling experiences of making oneself legible as a gender queer person in a binary-gendered world. My practice is a reflection, and often a self-portrait diary, of my experiences as a trans masculine person creating art in a society that is increasingly hostile towards the existence of trans people. My artworks consider trans identity through lenses of spirituality, intimacy, and surveillance.
In October of 2023 I led a workshop on my 3D scanning and editing process at VYBE Music and Arts Festival in Longmont, CO. The workshop explored how this scanning and editing process could be merged with mindfulness practices to integrate technology with spiritual healing. During the workshop, I guided participants through my scanning process, and collaboratively edited the scans in a software with their input. After learning the scanning and editing process, participants received a 3D print of their edited scan at the end of the weekend, as a token to remember the experience.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
Getting connected with one of the larger arts organizations in your area – in any capacity – can be a great entry point to forming a network. My acceptance to the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver’s Creator’s Cohort introduced me to mentors and a community that became the backbone of my network and provided me with the resources I needed to launch my professional career. I am still in a group chat with my members of the Cohort, and we frequently send each other updates about our progress, including open calls and professional opportunities that may be relevant.
The best way to get connected with a larger arts organization is to show up to events that are curated by these organizations. I connected with Denver Digerati after attending exhibitions that featured artwork created and curated by the founders. It’s important to remember that the art world is very circular, and that investing energy and time in someone by simply showing up to an event that matters to them will speak volumes. My relationship with this organization has connected me to another large branch of my network today – other artists within the Denver Digerati network are enthusiastic about collaborating, sharing ideas, and learning from one another.
Finally, the value of formal arts education cannot be overstated for the networking opportunities it provides. The Emergent Digital Practices department at DU continues to form the foundation of my art practice and experiential knowledge. My first public installation in 2021 was curated by alumni of my program. In November of 2023, my friend/collaborator Austin Slominski and I organized another audio/visual performance, this time at Deep Space Drive In – an organization run by alumni of the EDP department. The learning experiences are more than academic; professors emphasize knowledge that is relevant beyond the classroom, allowing for professional growth during the emergence of artistic careers.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://maxmatherart.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/m.mather.creations/
- Other: Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/user169086307
Image Credits
Headshot/Personal Photo – MaryV Benoit – 2022
