I was born in London in 1964. Having worked professionally as a musician for some 30 years, I decided in 2009 to go back to college and pursue my other abiding interest, the history of art. I graduated with a PhD from Bristol in 2019.

My first book, Disorders at the Borders [2021], explored the relationship of the work of Anselm Kiefer to the concept of the Gesamtkunstwerk. The latter was very much denigrated by Theodor Adorno and others, but I believe it has great relevance to much contemporary practice, as in the case of Kiefer. My book contributes to the growing body of literature concerned with the concept's rehabilitation.

My second book, In the Light of Being [2027], considered the significance of art in the light of the view that consciousness is an ontological primary.

At Bristol, I have taught the following modules: Realism, German Expressionism, Modern European Art, Making and Materiality: Photography, Theorising the Object, Audio-Visual Culture, Art and Music, The City and Approaches to the Artist. I have also contributed to Episodes in Global Visual Culture and Time and the Image.

Samples of my written work can be found at:

https://bristol.academia.edu/DrMattWates

Published Work

Books: Disorders at the Borders: In Search of the Gesamtkunstwerk in the Paintings of Anselm Kiefer Oxford: Peter Lang 2021

In the Light of Being: Art, Music and Consciousness London: Essentia Books 2027

Book Reviews: John Neilson The Inscriptions of Ralph Beyer Crafts Study Centre in association with Lund Humphries, 2021 in 'Forum: Journal of Letter Exchange' No 41 March 2021