Matt McKee’s Promethean Dreams at UFORGE

“The show is an exploration of fire itself,” said Matt McKee as he and his son Hunter recently hung the photographer’s latest exhibition entitled “” at , where it will burn brightly until September 11.    “It’s this wonderful force of nature that’s alive.  People worshipped it.”

McKee’s flaming photos capture the essence of the element.  “It is a slice of a primal force,” he wrote about the powerful and colorful images. “Some see angels and dragons while others see dances and waves.  Each is true.  And, false.”

McKee calls Hyde Park home but he has long been an artistic presence in JP.  For the past nine years he has been a member of the board of the JP Arts Council, and has frequently shown at local venues like JP Open Studios, , and , as well as at downtown galleries.  

The photographer, whose work is often inspired by cinema, television, and theater, has found a natural niche for himself at the where he has created many of the promotional materials for their productions.  His involvement there dates back over a decade ago when he designed the poster for the community theatre’s staging of “Psycho Beach Party.”

“I wanted to do something that looked less like theatre and more like a movie poster,” he remarked.

Subsequently, McKee has brought his cinematic and sometimes surrealist style to many other of the productions including last year’s compelling image “Donkey Boy” for the bard’s “Midsummer Night’s Dream.”  McKee extensive list of credits also include “And Then There Were None,” “Betrayal, “Willy Wonka,” and “Rent,” to name only a few.  McKee also works with the Riverside Theater in Hyde Park.

McKee’s runs a successful photography studio, Matt McKee Photography where his services include executive portraits and other commercial work.  True to his theatrical impulses, one of McKee’s specialties includes portfolio shots of actors.

Accompanying “” at  is also a sample of an earlier body of work called “Disquiet Slumber,” that includes some of McKee’s cinematically styled portraits like “Boogie Man” and “Heroine.”

“I created scenes for the actors to enter,” he stated.  “I love working with them.”

“These are images that occur just before waking up,” McKee explained. “They have roots in a dark place.”

McKee himself grew up in Schenectady, New York.  In an apparent case of precocious predestiny, he recalled how as a child after watching “Godzilla” he recreated the Japanese B movie with toy soldiers, capturing the scene with his first camera, a Polaroid zip.  “I have been creating stories with lenses and light since.”

After graduating from the Rochester Institute, McKee came to New England.

“I wanted to stay near our families, and not New York,” he stated.  “Boston is a big small town.  As a whole,” he added, “it’s great for the arts.  And JP is very supportive.”

“ will be on view at , 767 Centre Street, until September 11.  A reception for the exhibition will be held on September 1 from 6-8 p.m.  McKee is participating in the Hyde Park Open Studios on Sunday, September 18, when his studio at 1 Westinghouse Plaza in Hyde Park will be open to the public.  McKee will also be showing his work at the during JP Open Studios on September 24 and 25.