Matt Saunders: On an Overgrown Path

Matt Saunders explores hybrid forms merging photography and painting through camera-less techniques, animation, and printmaking that investigate material transformation and the mutability of perceptio

Why go

Saunders presents a major new body of work embracing chance and contingency, including camera-less photographs, a two-channel hand-drawn animation with sound collage inspired by Janáček's piano compositions, and innovative processes combining oil, photochemistry, and photosensitive paper—marking a pivot toward building musical analogies alongside v

What to expect

Large and small format camera-less photographs, a multi-channel animation titled *On an Overgrown Path* (2026) with sound collage, plein air landscapes created by drawing negatives directly on site, unique silver gelatin works using oil-and-water resistance techniques, a triptych sourced from Werner Schroeter's cinema, and a series of photogravure

Things to know

• Saunders is the De Ying Professor of Art, Film, and Visual Studies at Harvard University.
• His work is held in major collections including MoMA, the Guggenheim, the Whitney, the Tate, and the Hirshhorn.
• The exhibition title references Leoš Janáček's piano composition suite *On an Overgrown Path*.
• Saunders received the 2022 American Academy of Arts and Letters Arts Purchase Prize.
• The animation frames are developed as unique photographs using oil and water-based chemistry in a repulsion process.
• *Birkin Rosso* series combines photogravure and woodblock processes, with a conceptual nod to sculptor Medardo Rosso.

Plan your visit

Gallery hours are Tuesday–Saturday, 10 am–6 pm. The gallery is closed 19 June 2026. Located at 385 Broadway, New York, NY 10013; phone (212) 977-7160.