About
Bio
Born in Italy, Matteo graduated as an architect, however from a young age; he had a talent and a love for visual arts. Leaving architecture and Italy behind, Matteo settled in Australia in 2013, working full-time as a professional artist. His work has been primarily exhibited in Italy, Spain, and Australia and is currently held in private collections internationally.
Matteo’s work is dynamic and engages the audience on philosophical levels.
Matteo has been a finalist of multiple major art awards including The Kilgour, The Shirley Hannan National Portrait Award, the Naked and Nude Art Prize, the Percival, and the Mosman Art Prize.
You can see Matteo Bernasconi’s work at Peach Black Gallery, 126 Abercrombie Street, Chippendale, Sydney.
Recent Art Awards
– The Percival, Perc Tucker Regional Gallery, QLD, 2022. Finalist.
– The Kilgour Prize, Newcastle Art Gallery, 2021, Finalist.
– The Fisher’s Ghost Art Award, Campbelltown Arts Centre. 2021, Finalist.
– Into the Light Art Prize, Whitewall Art Projects, 2021, Finalist.
– McClelland Contemporary Watercolour Award, Splash, McClelland Park Gallery, VIC. 2021, Finalist.
– The Fisher’s Ghost Art Award, Campbelltown Arts Centre. 2020, Finalist.
– Shirley Hannan National Portrait Award, Bega Regional Gallery, 2020. (Highly Commended).
– The Percival, Perc Tucker Regional Gallery, QLD, 2020. Finalist.
– Mosman Art Prize, Mosman Art Gallery, 2019. Finalist.
– The Fisher’s Ghost Art Award, Campbelltown Arts Centre. 2019, Finalist.
– Naked & Nude Art Prize, Taree Regional Art Gallery, 2019. Finalist.
– Shirley Hannan National Portrait Award, Bega Regional Gallery, 2018. Finalist.
Approach
Today the modern Art scene needs to typecast artists based on a particular series or method, often dangerously treating the method like the style. My art is not a process and I don’t have a specific method, I experience it in a more universal way, otherwise, it would be too narrow and predictable. Art is exploring, evolving, and a lot of gambling.
I don’t limit myself to one technique, I vary it, according to the topic. I am curious and interested in something new and unexpected, and when I am good at something and I understand it, I abandon it and move on, looking for something else to explore. Forget all the rules you learned yesterday in order to discover something new today, without being a hostage of your own knowledge.
I don’t have a specific method, I feel that my method and technique changes every time I start a new painting, the approach needs to be related to the subject and the topic. I use techniques in a different way to that in which they have worked before or for which they were originally made for.
Topics
My work touch different topics, in the last years I explored different sides of the human condition, embracing philosophical themes.
I think the artwork needs to engage the viewer. The viewer needs to psychologically feel it and experience it.
The painting works when it makes us think and ask a broader range of questions.
I am interested in exploring dark places that we normally don’t allow ourselves to explore but exist behind everyday life, and how, as animals, we react depending on the influences of our environment.
I am influenced by the people around me. I want to catch, trap their energy, not only the appearance.
I show not only the mere physical appearance, the façade, but I focus on unveiling something else, unseen. I want to expose what the subject is, not only who the subject is.
I describe the two sides of humans beings, the duality is a recurring characteristic in my paintings.
Whether through multi-figured compositional or with solitary strait portraits I often like to leave the painting open, with a sense of uncertainty.
Painting
When I paint I rely on the unpredictable qualities of the medium, I believe that painting is a delicate balance between chances and intervention. I try to be spontaneous when I’m working, and this often reflect in the painting.
Painting for me is like directing without over imposing, it’s trying to find the right balance of intervention and let the paint go, leaving the medium to express itself. This approach brings you to a series of incidents/chances that normally open up opportunities to work with.
The unpredictability that happens on the surface has an important role in my painting process, and it is my role as an artist to give a form to these incidents/chances. The result of a good painting often is when appearance takes form by a bunch of different mistakes that harmoniously work together.
Publications and media
SBS Interview Australian Broadcaster AU
Oz Arts Magazine n21 Interview Magazine AU
BlueBee Magazine n2 Interview Magazine, London, UK
Broadsheet Article Online Magazine AU
Art Guide Article Magazine AU
Art Almanac Article Magazine AU
Art Edit Article Magazine AU
Inner West Courier Article Newspaper AU
The Brag Article Magazine AU
Concrete Playground Article Online Magazine AU
Art Shows
Australia
– The Fisher’s Ghost Art Award, Campbelltown Arts Centre. 2020, 31 Oct – 11 Dec.
– Shirley Hannan National Portrait Award, Bega Regional Gallery, 2020. August 2020
– The Percival, Perc Tucker Regional Gallery, 2020. Finalist. July 2020
-The Homo Sapiens, Solo show, Peach Black Gallery, Art Month Sydney, Mar-May 2020
– The Fisher’s Ghost Art Prize, Campbelltown Arts Centre, 26 Oct-Dec 2019
– Summer Show, Group show, Peach Black Gallery, Sydney, November 2019
– Mosman Art Prize, Mosman Art Gallery, 11 Sep – 26 Oct, 2019
– Naked & Nude Art Prize, Manning Regional Art Gallery, 7 Sep – 13 Oct 2019
– Metamorphosis, Solo show, Peach Black Gallery, Sydney, Mar-May 2019
– Summer Show, Peach Black Gallery, Sydney, February 2019
– Shirley Hannan National Portrait Award, Bega Regional Gallery, Oct-Dec 2018
– The Other Art fair by Saatchi Art, Australian Technology Park, Sydney March 2018
– The Other Art fair by Saatchi Art, Australian Technology Park, Sydney October 2017
– Flesh in Light, Gauge Gallery, Solo exhibition, Sydney. Nov 2016
– Sydney Fringe Festival, Tech Gallery, Sydney. Sep 2016
– Retrospective, Solo exhibition, Myo and Co, Mosman, Mar 2015
– ‘The Art of Cadencia’, Solo exhibition. Alpha Gallery, Newtown, September 2015
– ‘New paintings’ Solo exhibition, Black Penny, Aug 2015
– Artshine Gallery, group exhibition Sep 2015
– The Makery Art, New works, Solo, Oxford street, Darlinghurst.
– ‘Reflections’, De Moulin Gallery, Annandale, Jan 2015
Europe
– TianQi, La Bellezza, Milano, Italy, October 2012.
– Rocca Paolina, Expo In Viaggio, Perugia, Italy, July 2012.
– Gallery Rennella Maxo, c/ Portal Nou 19, Barcelona, Spain, December 2011.
– Artes sin fronteras, portal del angel, corte Ingles, Barcelona, Spain. Sep 2011.
– Expo dip, portal del angel, corte Ingles, Barcelona, Spain, April 2011.
– Gallery Paspartu. c/verdi, Barcelolna, Spain, July 2010.
