Keith Cat (15x12) by Matt McCarthy

This piece draws inspiration from Keith Haring's iconic New York City Subway drawings and the concept of "underground art, underground." Art that exists beneath the surface, both literally and metaphorically. My goal was to create a piece in the style of KH within my mediums of collage and cats. Unlike traditional additive collage, I chose to cut out the "drawing" from an image of a cat and used the negative space to reveal a world of vibrantly graffitied 80s NYC subway cars hidden beneath the surface. This is both a nod to the idea of the "underground," and also symbolic of how Haring's widespread popularity exposed many other street artists to a broader audience.

Matt McCarthy is an analog and digital collage artist who uses cats as his primary subject matter. His surreal creations hope to shock and delight while also honoring the incredible felines that have captivated our attention for millennia. You can find his work on social media at @mrmattmccarthy, on the web at mrmattmccarthy.com, and for sale on Etsy at mrmattmccarthy.etsy.com.