Hayden Maltese

Hayden Maltese is an interdisciplinary artist from Rochester, New York primarily focused in drawing and papermaking. Since graduating from Alfred University with a B.F.A in 2018, he has exhibited in numerous locations, including New York City, Chicago, and West Palm Beach. Hayden has spent four years residing in several different cities working in the fields of landscaping, gardening, and indoor plant care; drawing inspiration from the visceral sensations and moments of beauty that accompany these jobs. He is currently an M.F.A candidate at the Lamar Dodd School of Art, University of Georgia.

Research Detail

My journey as an artist has led me to a point where I am attempting to de-escalate what it means to be a man. I am attempting to challenge first world societal expectations that are imposed on him, and why re enforcing aggressive behavior is ultimately detrimental. I am a sensitive man because I try to love unconditionally. To such a degree that it manifests itself in paranoia where I fear the people I hold dear will leave me too soon, or somehow not be okay. The text in my work often holds the weight of these confessions and concerns. My drawings find their footing in quasi-spiritual streams of consciousness, powdery androgynous realms are often depicted. Pastel colors are placed to mimic the dance of sunlight, while long, hairy, dancing legs try to learn the routine. In this place, I ponder the placement of deceased members of my extended family as their deaths accumulate, and my own age advances. Subsequently, ideas that characterize ‘the most high’ have been of particular interest to me. Does an omnipotent presence share power with the deceased? This thread is being stressed in my practice because I have found it brings me comfort to visualize these blush-esque atmospheres housing the people that I love, those that are no longer here with me. My exposure to the papermaking process has been vital to these developments, as the labor of making paper traces the action of writing and drawing back to their roots. Through paper production a clean slate is rendered. A place where one’s mind can solidify thoughts that do not exist outside of it. A place newly activated, yet completely at rest. A place where the truth is constructed, or at the very least, pursued.