Susan Tracy:  It’s interesting to explore the idea of an American painter in Amsterdam being given the go-ahead to paint a U.S.-themed mural in an Amsterdam art space.  How did this come about?

Matthew Harrington:  After speaking to artist Kees Maas and him granting me the space for the month of November, it just hit me that this is the perfect time.  It’s something that the rest of the world is involved with and it’s not just an American thing.  There are a few different reasons, I guess.  It’s not as if I’m always a political person.  
 
Susan Tracy: You say that the rest of the world is involved in this; what do you mean by that?

Matthew Harrington: Not, of course, involved in the election process, but it seems as if everyone’s opinions are now being put forth in blogs on the internet, and the rest of the world is really able to understand what’s going on and is also affected by what’s going on, what has been happening in the past eight years.  

                                                Courtesy of Freakingnews.com

Susan Tracy: You say that you’ve never been overly political.  Have you voted in a U.S. election before?

Matthew Harrington: Never.

Susan Tracy: Are you voting this year?

Matthew Harrington: No.

Susan Tracy: Why are you removed from the political process?

Matthew Harrington: I think I’m a really good example of the apathy in young American voters.  I just see that now there’s a candidate that’s starting to stir the pot a little for younger voters, myself included.  I’m still not going to go vote.  There’s a ‘disconnect’ between these politicians and the issues that are raised, the issues that are brought forth in an election year.

Susan Tracy: Why?

Matthew Harrington:  A disconnect between the person I would be voting for and the issues that are being raised and maybe not really seeing the grand effect that an individual president can have on an entire country.

Susan Tracy: So you think that your vote doesn’t really count and voting for the presidency doesn’t really make much difference?

Matthew Harrington:  No, I think I’m just in my own world and am more self-absorbed, not seeing everything in a grander scale.

Susan Tracy: Are you typical of Generation Y, then, self-absorbed and in your own world?

Matthew Harrington:  If that’s what Generation Y is, then it’s very possible, yes.

Susan Tracy: Why don’t you tell us something about your early background: where you are from, where you grew up?  You’re a blond, blue-eyed American guy painting a mural in Amsterdam of a black guy who may be a Muslim.

Matthew Harrington: He’s not a Muslim.  I was born in Portland, Oregon, from a good and large Irish-Catholic family.  When I was 18, I moved to San Francisco and went to university there and studied at the Academy of Art.  Originally it was graphic design.  I didn’t feel any passion whatsoever sitting in front of a computer and creating art.  I needed to be more involved with paint and brushes on a canvas, and drawing.  After a while I lost the passion for it.  I got out of school, started looking for a job, and moved to New York City.  After I started working, my time and energy was not devoted to art.  It’s been something throughout the past few years that I’ve been trying to be more conscious of, making time for something that I really do love, but that I haven’t dedicated my entire life to.

Susan Tracy: Did you abandon any thoughts or aspirations to become a full-time artist and say to yourself, this is too impractical, unrealistic, competitive?

Matthew Harrington:  When I went to university I was thinking of majoring in something that I did have a passion for and not necessarily going for a field that would get me a job directly out of school.  In the 1990s the most practical art field was graphic design, especially in San Francisco.  There is an idealistic view of being an artist, being a struggling painter.  That hasn’t been the road that I’ve taken.  At this point it’s more about trying to reconnect with something that I have a big passion for.

Susan Tracy:  You mentioned earlier that your family is voting De

mocratic for the first time in about 30 years?

Matthew Harrington:  It’s not completely confirmed, but as of our last conversations they were definitely leaning that way.

Susan Tracy: Why is that?

Matthew Harrington: You’d have to ask my Mom and Dad directly, but I think the overall feeling is now it’s no longer voting on party lines only.  It’s more about looking at who is the best candidate, regardless of Democrat or Republican.                                                                          Susan Tracy: Given that a lot of people criticise Barack Obama for not having any real experience; that he wouldn’t even be hired into an executive position in a corporation based on his thin CV, compared with John McCain being a war hero and elder statesman, it seems that John McCain is the more qualified candidate.  Why do you think Barack Obama is a better candidate?

Matthew Harrington: He’s creating so much more energy amongst the American people.  He’s really gathering young and old and people are caring now about the future of the country, and they believe in him.  Yes, he is an extremely intelligent man; no, he doesn’t have a lot of Senate experience and hasn’t fought in any wars, like other past presidents who were also completely qualified to be president.  I personally believe in him, that he will be able to lead America.  His political program is about change and in my opinion it’s what America needs.  I do believe that he will be more than just change.

Susan Tracy: You say that people need change.  What kind of change?  Just from the last eight years?  Isn’t anybody is better than a Republican at this point?  

Matthew Harrington: John Kerry couldn’t beat George W. Bush last time.  I don’t think any Democrats can just take for granted that the election can’t be lost.

Susan Tracy: What happens if Barack Obama doesn’t win?  What would be the result of that outcome?

Matthew Harrington:  I think there will be a lot of deflated individuals out there.  Even the rest of the world will be deflated in a certain way.  It will be a feeling of, ‘here we go again’ and a lot of disappointment.

Susan Tracy: Do you think America’s reputation in the world needs improvement?  Or shouldn’t we care about other countries; just look at what’s going on in our own backyard?

Matthew Harrington:  Well, definitely, that should be our number one priority.  Looking at what’s going on in our own backyard I think will help to heal our reputation around the world.

Susan Tracy: What are some of the major issues in our own backyard that you think the next president should be addressing going forward?

Matthew Harrington:  Well, of course, everything that’s been happening in Iraq.  That’s been affecting the world for the past seven years.  Fixing our economy, that has a huge impact on the rest of the world.  These two issues are the main points, in my opinion.

Susan Tracy: Do you think the troops should be withdrawing from Iraq?

Matthew Harrington: I don’t think they can just be pulled out as soon as the next president comes in.  The realization that this has not gone as well as planned has been recognised by everyone.  There’s still a need for us to be there a little longer, though withdrawal has to become a reality.

Susan Tracy: What about Afghanistan?

Matthew Harrington:  George W. Bush took us off course. I think Bin Laden is still a threat, so that’s where the focus should be.

Susan Tracy: Do you think George W. Bush is a war criminal?

Matthew Harrington:  I can’t go so far, I don’t have a comment.

Susan Tracy: Do you think it makes sense for countries to try and effect cultural change in other regions of the world?

Matthew Harrington: No, I just don’t see that.  I think it goes back to fixing the things in your own backyard.

Susan Tracy:  Do you think America is declining as an empire?

Matthew Harrington:  Yes, definitely, though ‘empire’ is a strong word.  The state of America is not the state we were in 10 years ago.

                                      Rode brug © Matthew Harrington 

Susan Tracy: Republican ideology calls for less taxes to stimulate economic growth so companies can invest in hiring people and producing goods and services.  The Democrats are seen as spenders and bleeding hearts; wanting bigger government and social programs for people who basically don’t help themselves.  Those are always the two polarities in American politics, so I find it interesting that Barack Obama, an unknown and relatively inexperienced senator from out of nowhere and who is mixed-race, suddenly becomes this image of hope and change for the American economy when the American economy is based on small government and people fending for themselves.

Matthew Harrington:  America was in great prosperity when Bill Clinton was in office.

Susan Tracy: Tell us about your art experience in Amsterdam.  You’ve done a portrait of Vincent van Gogh?

Matthew Harrington: Yes, he has always intrigued me; the insanity, the tragic artist story, a young artist who was unappreciated, who lived a very short life, but during his life was intense and created a lot of beautiful artwork.  He took the Impressionistic period and twisted it and made it his own.  I was in Amsterdam for about a year and it was just my own little twist of van Gogh.  I’ve been to the van Gogh museum several times to look at the same paintings.  Every time I look at them they’re captivating; I like his use of colour, everything is very bold and primary.
 
Susan Tracy: Are there other painters that have influenced you besides van Gogh?

Matthew Harrington:  Jackson Pollack has a completely different style than Mondrian – I like the entire span of modern art.  My art style has been more influenced by what you see in the streets – the murals, the graffiti – than by any very well-known painter from the past.

Susan Tracy: Just the unknown graffiti artist that gets up at 3am, who decides to paint the side of a subway car?

Matthew Harrington: Yes, there’s something about that which is intriguing, to know that it’s going to be a temporary piece, that you’ve spent so much time and energy on something that could be gone in two or three hours.  And also to know that it can be seen by millions of people, like in New York City, and possibly have an impression.  

Susan Tracy: Can you share with us some of the Amsterdam galleries you like?

Matthew Harrington:  I really like Studio Apart.  They usually have young, provocative, contemporary art.

Susan Tracy: When is your Barack Obama mural going to be available for viewing?

Matthew Harrington:  I am starting to paint on the 1 November.  Anyone can stroll by at any odd hour to sample the painting in process since there is a large window that looks into the space where I will be working.  The opening itself is on Saturday, 8 November, from 3 – 7pm at Achter de Ramen.

Susan Tracy: So you’re going to continue to paint the mural as the election unfolds?

Matthew Harrington: Yes, that’s right.  I won’t know the outcome of the election because I will be isolating myself from all media and friends.  At the end of November the mural will disappear, painted over in white, symbolic of what I hope is a fresh beginning for all of us.

Barrack Obama in Amsterdam: Reigniting the Connection
November 2008
Achter de Ramen
Feike de Boerlaan 1
Borneo Island, Amsterdam

Susan Tracy is an American writer based in Amsterdam.