Performance artist Matthew B. Kurtz presents “Drumroll for The Total Eclipse: A Preliminary Exhibition,” a prelude to his upcoming live performance with this year’s solar eclipse. Kurtz’s work fuses place, nature, sound, rhythm, and movement to question the mystery of existence. With humor, curiosity, and in tandem with his surroundings, “Drumroll” explores the process of trying to understand wonder.

For his upcoming performance on April 8, 2024, Kurtz will invite an audience to celebrate the total eclipse. Collaborating with the cosmos, he will perform a drumroll before “totality” passes over Northeast Ohio and creates the natural phenomenon known as “the blackout.”

“When I engage with a site for an art piece, I consider its history, recontextualize its objects, and insert my identity through intuitive gestures. I was raised to believe that humans are supposed to connect the lines between their innate feelings and the unknown. Making art is [my] attempt to reclaim this existential directive. These experiences are documented so outside viewers can participate in my examination of ambiguities, systems, and the sublime.” — Matthew B. Kurtz

An opening reception for Matthew B. Kurtz’s “Drumroll for The Total Eclipse: A Preliminary Exhibition” will be held at Akron Soul Train Gallery on Thursday, February 22, from 5:00 PM – 7:30 PM. The exhibit is free and open to the public from February 21 – March 23, 2024, in the Burton D. Morgan Gallery.

About the artist Matthew B. Kurtz:

Matt Kurtz is an artist based in Akron, Ohio. His self-mythologizing artwork uses found objects, performance, and video documentation to reclaim identity in the ruins of industry and faith. Recent shows include a dual exhibition at Summit Artspace and an M.F.A. thesis installation at Kent State University. His artwork strives to interact with the viewer through sound performance and site-specific observation.