Photo Statement
As I extend my fine art practice to more genres, I’m still pursuing the same goals to create a new type of image and find new meaning. In journalism, my aim is to introduce experimental approaches, while establishing the content of my work in current events and real world topics. Since 2017, my photography has been syndicated through Getty Images. I live in Los Angeles.
XYZ
When I was going through hard times, Matthew “XYZ” Grover was a nickname I gave myself. I was confronted by struggles that many people share, like injury, unemployment, or X, Y, and Z… As the last letters of the alphabet and a hypothetical saying, “XYZ” refers to a long list of problems. So I learned to embrace the XYZ of the struggle, and added it to my initials: MLGXYZ. In the words of Young Buck, “Enjoy the struggle cause the beautiful part of it is the hustle.”
Education
MFA, Art Center College of Design, Pasadena
BFA, MCAD, Minneapolis