Something about Ryan and Trevor Oakes’s matchstick sculptures is very, very nerve-wracking. Hundreds of matchsticks, the classic, strike-anywhere, red-topped, wooden sticks, come together as gracefully twisting shapes, some geometric, some almost geological. The multiple textures of the rough wooden wand, clay-like red head and dusty, white tip transform when seen en masse, into a subtle color gradient that gives the sculptures an elusive meta-texture when seen from afar. Each matchstick is a small piece of anxiety, waiting to be lit, but collectively, the sculptures are slumbering monsters, neat and tidy for now.
