Matt Bassett-Johnson’s universe of weird animals is the result of a creative imagination that transcends normative boundaries. 

This time we are presented with the myth of the “Greater Frog Bat”, a frog that flies with the use of its pair of bat wings, and which happily and purposely lives in the vast, ancient Australian forests. This frog is not to be, under any circumstances, confused with the “Lesser Frog Bat” which is actually a similar creature (exactly the same) but not as intelligent. If anyone is unlucky enough to confuse them… well, nothing is going to happen.

To get into specifics regarding storyline will not be fruitful since such a traditional approach will distance us from the work’s general noema, so I will not succumb to the temptation. 

Matt’s work is always fresh, thought-provoking and oh! so pointless that somehow it does make some kind of point in the end, for a reason yet to fathom.

He is inventfull and authentic and his art resonates with viewers on a deeper level, as a consequence trying to make sense during the viewing experience could be misleading to say the least. One must surrender oneself to a seemingly grotesque and incomprehensible vision in order to accept the possibility of an alternative explanation of Matt’s cosmos.

Matt is a talented cartoonist but he does not make full use of his talent to the works he chooses to send over to us for evaluation.

“The Forest of the Frog Bat” does not manage to take its place in the pantheon of aesthetic achievements, but it is an achievement nonetheless. 

This is a story about frogs with bat wings that change color under the suspicion of threat and that’s all there is to know about them.

For what it’s worth I guess I’d really like to spend a few days camping in the forest of the frog bat. The greater…