| I have always been inspired to an extent by escapism. When I was young I used to lie in bed with my Walkman on. Eyes closed, I would enter a place in my head where I could spend hours creating an ever-evolving world of super heroes, theme park rides and flying machines. I was compelled and fascinated by the idea of being able to create something completely my own, unrestrained and untouched. I no longer go to bed with my Walkman, though escapism still very much appeals to me and is very much present in my work today. |
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I have always been inspired to an extent by escapism. When I was young I used to lie in bed with my Walkman on. Eyes closed, I would enter a place in my head where I could spend hours creating an ever-evolving world of super heroes, theme park rides and flying machines. I was compelled and fascinated by the idea of being able to create something completely my own, unrestrained and untouched. I no longer go to bed with my Walkman, though escapism still very much appeals to me and is very much present in my work today. I like to use humour in creating surreal scenarios, abstract narratives and strange little characters. Though behind all that lies something which feels very real and personal. Themes such as love, loneliness, disintegration and death, always seem to reoccur. I guess like many artists before me, I feel the need to make sense of these things in my own way.
My best ideas seem to happen late into the night when I am feeling jaded, and if I am unable to resolve a composition, I usually find that the morning brings me clarity. I like to work to music. It helps me to focus and lose myself in what I am doing.
Stylistically, line is very important to my work. Paul Klee’s famous quote ‘A line is a dot that went for a walk’ has always stuck with me and with this in mind I am always looking for new ways to develop, simplify and abstract my characters. I still find myself fascinated by the process in which I work. I do use computers a little, though I still very much work by hand. Tiff files and fine prints are all very well but to have something tangible and textured to touch is very important and is something I just can’t get away from. Working to a large scale does appeal to me, though I often work quite small. I enjoy the close connection between hand and eye as I hunch over my desk. I like to produce large series of small drawings where I can explore concepts and ideas along a singular theme, often to be exhibited together.
Besides my personal work, I often work as an illustrator, and therefore am often restrained by a brief, that is commercially and contextually defined. I try in someway to create personal connections with a commissioned piece, otherwise I find the results somehow feel hollow and lifeless. For me the idea is more important than the style. Concepts are fundamental. I truly detest illustrators with no sense of intellectual curiosity. I like to visually problem solve, hopefully challenging, subverting and requiring the viewer to look a little deeper.
Originally from London, Matt currently works from India and lectures at Srishti School of Art & Design in Bangalore. Matt has worked for clients including Don’t Panic Media, The Guardian Newspaper, The Independent on Sunday, Time Out, Shots, Orange, and FT Magazine. Matt has exhibited across London, Italy and Japan.
