8ft x 4ft on wood; painted on site at Gallery 13 during Execute Rogue Citizen. Sold.


Hola amigos. Been a while since I rapped at ya.
2011 has been a very interesting, busy year. After a group exhibition at Nevermind Gallery in St Paul, my artist collective Rogue Citizen worked toward a major effort at Gallery 13 in downtown Minneapolis titled Execute Rogue Citizen, where all unsold work was literally executed in the gallery space. We were very satisfied with the attendance and coverage of the event, and many thanks go to Ostraka and Seawhores for playing live for the opening and closing nights, and Pabst Blue Ribbon for sponsoring the show.

Rogue Citizen has otherwise been hustling through live events, murals, and other special projects, including painting with the excellent Chuck U at Art-a-Whirl in NE Minneapolis and the fundraising event Art Squared. Later this fall, we’ll be exhibiting a small series of work at the annual exhibition Voices from the Warehouse in Dubuque, IA, and shortly after presenting a two-night series of live music at Cause Soundbar and Spirits in Minneapolis coinciding with a large group show there, featuring entirely new work from all four RC member artists (Dalsen, McGorry, AEON and myself) and very special musical guests. Among them, we’re importing the unmatchable Phillip Morris from Chicago. Go download that business right now, champ.

Aside from clocking hours with the collective, I’ve been working as a graphic artist and production supervisor for Hellcat Design Group, an emerging Twin Cities outfit that provides print work and design for touring acts. Check out some of the merch design and album art there, notably the recent art I’ve been providing for breakout punk/hip hop artist Hyro Da Hero, whose new album Birth, School, Work, Death is available in stores and on iTunes, etc.

Soon enough I’ll be overhauling the images on this site in order to actually back up my claims of having been busy. Soon enough…

I’ve been working with Substance booking group for a while, specifically on RAN ART, an art contest/exhibition/event sponsored by Rainforest Action Network as part of their campaign concerning palm oil production. Kill the Vultures is headlining the show with Bouncer Fighter and the magnificent Phantom Tails. May 1st, 7pm at Tarnish&Gold Gallery in northeast Minneapolis. My artist collective Rogue Citizen is a co-sponsor of this event.

I’m working on finishing artwork for Disasteratti’s new album coming out on Learning Curve Records, and starting work on a concept album for emerging metal act We Are Legion due out in late summer.

Later on.. May 7, 7pm: Rogue Citizen is painting live and exhibiting new work at Altered Esthetics Gallery, northeast Minneapolis, as part of F.R.E.S.H., a show celebrating hip hop and urban art

May 14-16: Rogue Citizen is throwing up a mural on the side of Shuga Records, northeast Minneapolis, during Art-A-Whirl. It will be most killer. 70 bands in 3 days, and you can drink cold brews and hang out with us while we paint.

A recent poster/tshirt design for the Oklahoma Horror Film Festival

Rogue Citizen was invited last week to participate in Gimme Shelter: A Benefit Concert for Haiti, sponsored by City Pages and Gimme Noise, featuring Mark Mallman and Solid Gold; other artists included DWITT, Chuck U and Anthem Heart. Proceeds went to the Red Cross Haiti Relief and Development Fund, and Architecture for Humanity. We painted live for the duration of the show, and in the end Evolution and Empire was auctioned for a lot more than we could have contributed ourselves.

Look for Rogue Citizen’s piece in Foot in the Door 4 at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.

An ambitious collaboration is under way between myself and Pramila Vasudevan of Aniccha Arts, dramatically expanding the concept and scale of the media/performance piece “Words to Dead Lips” shown last November at Pillsbury House Theater in Minneapolis. Aniccha Arts’ website currently features a segment of that piece via youtube.

Happy Christmahannakwaanzadon! Thanks for visiting us at the Holiday Art Show at Carleton Lofts in St Paul. Diverse artists, a little difficult to locate for some, but a rowdy bunch we are.

It’s almost 2010.

January 1: Public Consumption is going down in Minneapolis. I don’t know if you’re ready for it. Over forty paintings are deposited all over the city. If you find one of these, look on the back of the piece for the “Public Consumption” logo, and contact Rogue Citizen with comments, photos, video, and critiques concerning where you found it, what happened to it; what you did with it. All of this information will go in to a short documentary by Sam Thompson to be presented at the next FEAST grant event in February. Check out the trailer for it, set to a killer tune from Phantom Tails…

January 8: Living Painting with Phantom Tails! The Nomad World Pub is going to host a night of great bands with the wonderfully psychotic Phantom Tails capping it off. Rogue Citizen artists will be painting on a 5×5ft canvas live all evening (for sale via silent auction), and a collection of our work will be on the walls there for the month. This event requires your attendance. It is not optional. Come at 7pm for the art opening, stay until your socks are rocked.

January 9: Galactic Pizza on Lyndale Avenue, everyone’s favorite local/organic high-flying superhero establishment, will be hosting an opening for an exhibition of my work there, Precious Bodily Fluids. Show up at 9pm for a dollar off brews!

Keep an eye out during the year for another Rogue Citizen project… Exquisite Robot.

If you are interested in commissioning illustration or design work, or custom paintings, please use the contact page on this site, or email lizardmanart@gmail.com, and feel free to give me a ring.

Cheers,
Matt