The work of Matthew Wesley Mahoney
Theory is myth.
Art is myth.
I’m an Autistic art historian, artist, educator, and activist. My work connects Surrealism, mythology, neurodiversity, art history, and public memory. I study how images and stories shape what we know about ourselves and each other.
Explore my research
Scholarship in public
In conversation
with the archive.
Research · Curation · Publication
Dalí’s Dialogues
This exhibition and its five catalogues explore the relationships between Dalí’s prints and the texts and images that inspired them.
My presidential scholarship project brought together archival research, photography, translation, and interpretation to make the portfolios accessible as books.
Read the essay & explore the exhibition Open the five catalogues →Senior thesis · 2024
Remedios Varo as Liberated Mythmaker
I examine how Varo’s mature paintings rework archetypes of femininity through figures who investigate and transform their worlds.
Read the thesis abstract ↗
The podcast · Episode 04
A path through
the labyrinth.
Greek myth, sacred architecture, poetry, psychoanalysis, and an original metaphor for Autistic experience.
Listen to Labyrinths & Mazes Browse all five episodesInside the studio
Interior worlds,
made visible.
“My drawings have intense colors and strong composition and include words as forms and collage, sometimes destroying old sketches to include in new pieces.”
View the art & design archive
The person behind the work
It began with
an imaginary island.
In elementary school, I drew maps of Kidsvania, invented gods and monsters, and made zines under the imprint Matthew Mythology Press. The name stayed as my world expanded into art history, museums, teaching, and activism.
Read my story, in my own words
Scholar
Research in art history
Artist
Drawings, objects, and design
Educator
Teaching and public scholarship
Activist
Neurodiversity and access