Matthew Ritchie

In 1995, British artist Matthew Ritchie (*1964 in London) embarked on an extraordinary undertaking: he set out to tell the story of everything, from the Big Bang onward. His tale was to be told in paintings and drawings through a core group of 39 characters drawn from sources as diverse as mythology, quantum physics, alchemy, gambling, biblical tales, and pulp fiction. With Proposition Player, Ritchie's first major solo museum exhibition and accompanying catalogue, his narrative has reached a "climax, collapse, and crisis" - the story has morphed into a game and Ritchie has created a veritable information casino. Accompanying the paintings and drawings for which the artist is internationally known are works in new media, including a 100-foot three-dimensional drawing, an interactive craps table with digital animation that invites viewers to roll the dice for the future of the universe, and a deck of cards featuring Ritchie's cast of characters. Exhibition schedule: Contemporary Arts Museum Houston December 13, 2003 - March 14, 2004