January 17 – March 30, 2025
Reception — January 23rd, 6 to 8pm
Online Panel Discussion with the Artists — February 27th 6.30 to 8.30pm
Imagine a world where it doesn’t matter who you love, just that you love.
An Impossibly Normal Life is an artifact from another world, a more loving, inclusive one where who you love is of little societal importance. This fictional story, centered on my imagined uncle’s idealized life, is created from collected vintage snapshots from around the world.
Four years ago, my mother offhandedly mentioned that I had an uncle who may have been gay, but he died not long after I was born. Hearing this revelation for the first time, nearly thirty years after I had struggled to come out to my disapproving family, sent my mind spinning. The thought of a family member so close to me going through some of the same things I did inspired me to create this story.
Instead of returning to the hiding or shame of most pre-1970’s queer stories, a reality of how our world was (and in some cases, still is), I have created an alternate history where fluidity in gender and sexuality is the societal norm. Re-contexualizing found photographs and creating a new narrative, my Uncle Ken’s life becomes full of acceptance, friends and love, and shows anyone struggling with identity today the joy of what could have been and can still be.
About Matthew Finley
Based in Los Angeles, Matthew Finley’s work has shown in solo and group shows in galleries across the U.S. He has pieces in the collections of the Museum of Contemporary Photography, Columbia College Chicago, MOAH, Lancaster, and the Center for Fine Art Photography. His current project An Impossibly Normal Life recently received Center Santa Fe’s 2024 Personal Award as well as the Center for Photographic Art’s 2024 LGBTQ+ Artist Grant.
To learn more, please visit Matthew’s website at: http://mfinleyphoto.com/