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A headshot of a person standing in front of a white wall. They look directly ahead with an expressionless face, perhaps just the hint of a smile. They have dark curly hair and beard stubble. They wear a black peacoat, with a graphic printed shirt peeking out around the collar.

Photo courtesy of Walgreens and the artist.

Artists

Machine Dazzle

He // Him // His
They // Them // Theirs

Artist and Designer

New York, New York

“I’ve learned, more than ever, that my artistic practice is a survival technique. It is a language that has brought me closer to the earth and to strangers who appreciate and understand it. My practice is the biggest part of my self. My work is my breath, my activism, my reason for existence.”

Matthew Flower, aka Machine Dazzle, has been living and working in New York City since 1994. An artist, costume designer, set designer, singer/songwriter, art director, maker, and all-around creative, Dazzle has worked with many from the New York downtown scene and beyond, including Diane Von Furstenberg, Cara Delevingne, Godfrey Reggio, Justin Vivian Bond, Taylor Mac, Basil Twist, Julie Atlas Muz, Jennifer Miller, The Dazzle dancers, Big Art Group, Mike Albo, Stanley Love, Soomi Kim, Opera Philadelphia, Pig Iron Theatre, the Bearded Ladies Cabaret, Spiegelworld, The Curran Theatre, and more. He describes himself as a radical queer emotionally driven, instinct-based concept artist and thinker.

Donor -This award was generously supported by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.

This artist page was last updated on: 07.15.2024

Theater & Performance
A nude White woman luxuriates on a background of black fabric. The left side of her torso is engulfed in the deep folds of pink fabric that circle around her head and is tucked under her bent knees.

Photo by Steven Menendez.

A portrait of a person, painted bubblegum pink, their face obscured by a burst of white flowers. The figure is placed in front of a magenta circle, creating the illusion of a halo and clasps their hands gently at their chest.

“Microorganisms” by Machine Dazzle formed with garbage and recycled objects from “NANO: Conversations In The Bloodstream” series.

Photo courtesy of the artist.

A Black man stands in front of a stark black background. He stands with his legs apart, fingertips resting just above his gently bent knees. He wears a golden collar with tendrils radiating around his head and trailing down his bare torso.

Photo by Steven Menendez.