Matthew H James

Feed & Comfort

Opening Reception :
Friday January 23rd 6-9 PM

“Feed & Comfort” — Matthew H James

Opening Reception:  Friday, January 23, 2026 | 6–9 PM 

Lorimoto Gallery is pleased to present Feed & Comfort, a solo exhibition by Matthew James, to kick off the already chaotic new year of 2026. 

James is an artist known for his dynamic energy, versatility, and unrelenting exploration of form and medium. His practice spans a broad range of approaches, each marked by a fearless pursuit of genuine expression and creative risk-taking.

James’s style is bold and immediate—characterized by vivid colors, explicit subject matter, and an outspoken sense of scale. Together, these qualities forge a direct and explosive aesthetic that commands attention and invites reflection.

Having followed Matt’s artistic journey closely, we are honored to present “Feed & Comfort” an exhibition that captures the depth of his evolution and the potency of his current vision.

Please join us at the opening reception to celebrate this extraordinary experience. 

Feed: Self-Portraits Through the Eyes of the Algorithm 

This body of paintings emerges from the sustained documentation of the artist’s Instagram feed during the COVID period. Algorithmically generated content— produced through patterns of engagement and behavioral data—constructs an image of the self that exists outside conscious self-perception. Identity here is not authored but inferred, assembled through machinic observation rather than introspection. 

The artist approaches this externally generated portrait as a site of tension and psychic disturbance. The trauma incurred through prolonged exposure to these images—familiar yet estranged—is addressed through an act of reclamation. By translating the once-ephemeral, endlessly scrollable images into paint, the artist arrests their velocity and subjects them to sustained attention. Painting becomes a means of reflection and resistance, allowing the artist to examine the juxtapositions imposed by Instagram’s visual logic and to reconfigure an algorithmically mediated self into a materially grounded, contemplative form. 

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Comfort: Finding Solace in the Monster 

These sculptural works employ the visual and tactile language of plush toys and soft, wearable onesies. Designed to be touched, held, worn, and performed, they foreground physical intimacy and embodied interaction. Comfort is not merely represented but enacted. 

At the same time, the work addresses a deeper cultural contradiction: a society capable of repeated and ongoing monstrous acts, yet one that simultaneously offers an abundance of softness, convenience, and reassurance. The sculptures operate within this paradox, exploring self- soothing as both a necessary coping mechanism and a troubling accommodation. In embracing the monstrous through forms associated with care and protection, the work invites reflection on how comfort functions— psychologically and politically—within contemporary life