Matter Studio Gallery is thrilled to announce a Retrospective Exhibition with JOHN SIMMONS in his upcoming show titled A Matter of Things Seen! It is such an honor to be hosting this comprehensive exhibition. John Simmons is an award-winning cinematographer, photographer, painter, collage artist, and professor. This retrospect will hold many of his well-known historically relevant photographs, as well as many newer works including his rarely seen mixed media collage pieces. Simmons’ artwork documents many moments of political protests and moments of intimate personal experiences from a Black American perspective. In his artist statement, John Simmons states,
“My work is grounded in the belief that images can reveal the forces shaping our lives—forces that often remain hidden until we choose to look closely. Through black-and-white photography and collage, I explore how injustice, inequality, and the shifting value of human life show up in everyday scenes across different ethnocultural and socioeconomic communities. These moments, these Matters of Things Seen—quiet, joyful, harsh, or tender—become evidence of what matters, what is dismissed, and what is at risk of being forgotten.
Photography allows me to witness all of this with honesty rather than bitterness. Whether I’m making a picture on the street or assembling one from layered histories, my intention is the same: to illuminate the realities we inherit, challenge the systems that diminish us, and create images that honor the humanity that persists through it all.”
