Matthew BarneyBy Olivia Harris

Early life

Born on March 25,1967 in San Francisco

Nationality: American

Studied at Yale University where some of his first works were created.

Parents divorced when Matthew was 12. His mother, who was an abstract painter, moved to New York where he was introduced to the art scene.

Lives with wife Bjork, with whom he had a daughter with in 2002

Some of his artworks

Drawing Restraint

Drawing Restraint 1987- A series of over 14 videos. Barney Started

this project while he was an under grad at Yale.

It includes large-scale sculptures, drawing, photographs, and books

Drawing Restraint 9 was an unconventional love story set in Japan.

Wife Bjork composed the soundtrack and starred in the film

The narrative structure is built upon themes such as the Shinto religion, the tea ceremony, the history of whaling, and the sup plantation of blubber with refined petroleum for oil.

Cremaster Cycle

The Cremaster Cycle 1994-2002 A series of 5 feature length films Included sculptures, photographs, installations,

and drawings “A self-enclosed aesthetic system consisting of

five films that explore processes of creation.“ Matthew Barney

As of 2010, the films are not available on mass-market DVDs, and according to the press release for the 2010 US tour, the cycle "is Not Now Nor Will it Ever be Available on DVD“.

Cremaster Cycle continued Its conceptual departure point is the male

cremaster muscle, a reproductive organ. The project is filled with anatomical allusions to

the position of the reproductive organs during the embryonic process of sexual differentiation: Cremaster 1 represents the most "ascended" or undifferentiated state, Cremaster 5 the most "descended" or differentiated.

Cremaster sculptures

Movie clips and interviewshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83WTxmkye04

http://www.videosurf.com/video/cremaster-1-by-matthew-barney-50864896

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi480510233/