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In a quiet corner of Brooklyn, time itself is being sculpted. On October 23, 2025, ZAROLAT — the architecture studio and art-design gallery founded in New York by Zeynep Arolat — opens FOUND TIME, the first solo exhibition by Raleigh-based sculptor and artist Matt Byrd, running through December 14. Curated by Zeynep Arolat herself, the show gathers a series of stone and ceramic works that meditate on the enduring and elusive nature of time.
Byrd’s relationship with his materials is anything but fleeting. Working with hammer, chisel, and grinder, he transforms ancient stones into silent witnesses of history — each surface bearing the visible traces of labor and patience. "Time is like an object to me", Byrd reflects. In his hands, stone becomes a vessel for memory, while clay, a newer material for the artist, offers a contrasting immediacy.
Among the 12 sculptural works on view, pieces like Jughead and Faces on the Wall 01 and 02 pay homage to North Carolina’s folk potters, blending tradition with personal reinvention. Others, such as Sardine and A Viewpoint, were born in Switzerland during Byrd’s residency at the Centro Internazionale di Scultura, merging raw materiality with abstract thought.
Byrd’s restraint is deliberate. His minimalist toolkit, and the simplicity of his compositions, reveal a deep trust in the material’s own voice. Some works retain their rough edges, embodying both process and imperfection — a testament to Byrd’s evolution toward what Arolat calls a "more confident and simplified approach to making". In FOUND TIME, Byrd doesn’t simply represent time; he captures it, allowing viewers to feel its weight, its texture, and its quiet persistence.
For ZAROLAT, this marks only its second solo exhibition since opening in 2024, yet it underscores the gallery’s growing reputation for pairing architecture and art through a shared sensitivity to form and texture. "Matt’s work is very special". says Arolat. "It’s polished — in both meanings. His craftsmanship and perspective are unlike anything else out there".
Even the exhibition design reinforces the show’s theme. Salvaged wooden beams serve as display platforms, and the gallery’s layout invites visitors to experience each sculpture from multiple angles — to literally walk through the passage of time.
Located in Brooklyn, New York, ZAROLAT is an architecture studio and a collectible art/design gallery representing an expansive community of international artists, designers and makers. Founded by Zeynep Arolat, ZAROLAT reflects and celebrates the communion of skillful design, architecture, fine art and artisanship in simultaneous dialogue. ZAROLAT Studio, which shares the gallery space, is an independent architecture studio creating buildings, interiors, and furniture since 2018.
Matt Byrd is a Raleigh-based sculptor whose abstract stone carvings express the ephemera of nature. Working primarily in found granite, his interlocking configurations—featuring stones painstakingly carved and textured by hand—show his eye for pleasing proportions and delicate balance. Trained as a stone mason by his mentor, Brooks Burleson, Byrd has shown his work in solo and group exhibitions, as well as publications including Sight Unseen, Surface, Dwell, AD Germany, AD India, Dezeen, Walter, and Luxe, among others. He has been a resident artist at the prestigious Centro Internazionale di Scultura in Peccia, Switzerland, and more recently, at Shiro Oni Studio in Onishi, Japan.
