A Commentary on Jadon Matthews Solo Exhibition at EJ Gallery

A Commentary on Jadon Matthews Solo Exhibition at EJ Gallery
 

By Priska W.

Most artworks in this exhibition by Jadon Matthews are made with charcoal and soft pastel, a rarely used medium by contemporary artists. Unlike others who do so, Jadon Mathew’s style bears comparison with masters in history of arts in his figurative and naturalistic style, though line and shape are treated with more freedom.

Almost hyper realistic at times, line, shape and colour loosen up into suggesting the continuation of them in the viewer’s imagination, giving them life. As a Swiss viewer, it is inevitable to think of great artworks by Jean-Etienne Liotard, mostly exhibited at MAH of Geneva, equally beautiful, yet clearly inscribed in an era in which colour, line and shape were used to serve the depicted subject, which remains fixed in the drawing or painting.

Jadon Matthews’ artworks are more than that. Some of them are portraits of contemporary Caribbean people who carry the weight of history of their country such as the three portraits of women Steadfast, The Caretaker and French Creole girl, cleverly hung together in this exhibition as they tell the story of women in the Caribbean. Others are full of symbolism like Young Nation, the only oil painting, which represents the independence of Trinidad and Tobago and, through the position of its characters, invites the viewer to look at the promise of a free future in the open sea and sky. It also makes a symbolical statement of strength and perennity through the use of oil painting instead of charcoal or soft pastel, more delicate and fragile mediums.
 

Most artworks in this exhibition are black and white and offer an exquisite play of light and shade that brings the subject to life. In some pieces, colourful details catch the viewers’ eyes and invite them to explore more of the artwork by questioning the contrast. Colour can also be found melted into the black and white depiction, like in The Passenger, as if stating that nothing is ever black and white, nothing is ever as simple as it seems. Few artworks such as River Washer and River Rince will satisfy viewers preferring colourful and vibrant yet soft rendering of daily life that, once more, links past and present times in Trinidad and Tobago in Jadon Matthew’s beautiful work. 

See the exhibtion at this link until November 4, 2025: Jadon Matthews' Solo Exhibtion

October 2025