Tony Matelli

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Tony Matelli at an exhibition at the Bergen Art Museum

Tony Matelli (* 1971 in Chicago , Illinois ) is an American artist who lives and works in the Brooklyn borough of New York . His extremely realistic-looking sculptures , which are often presented in a surrealist position, are assigned to hyperrealism .

Life

education

Tony Matelli was born in Chicago, Illinois and grew up in Delavan, Wisconsin , where he graduated from Delavan-Darien High School. He began his education in 1991 at the Alliance of Independent Colleges of Art (Scholarship Independent Study Program ) in New York, NY, received a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in 1993 from the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design in Wisconsin and a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) 1995 at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan. In 1998 he received a scholarship from the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) and worked for Jeff Koons for several years .

Artistic work

Materials and work technique

In his artistic work, Matelli combines very different materials such as metals ( steel , bronze ), glass , porcelain , marble , plastics ( silicones , foams , fiberglass , epoxy resin ), paper and everyday objects, as well as biological materials ( e.g. animal hair ), which with high technical and manual effort processed and then color coordinated by airbrushing . He runs his artist workshop in Brooklyn, in which other people also work, as Tony Matelli LLC .

Sculptures

Most of Matelli's works show hyper-realistic representations of people, animals, plants and objects that are positioned in a surrealist manner.

For example, his work Josh shows a barefoot young man, dressed in gray Bermuda shorts - from which the bundle of reddish boxer shorts protrude -, a white T-shirt and an open, blue and white checked shirt that appears to float above the floor.

The painted bronze sculpture Arrangement , of which there are several slightly different versions - like several other works by Matelli ( Sleepwalker , Fuck it, Free Yourself ! , Weeds , Old Enemy. New Victim , the rope structures labeled Untitled , etc.) represents an arrangement of lilies in a flower vase , but is turned by 180 ° in an unusual way: the vase is on top and the bouquet of flowers is below.

In another series, Matelli shows mirrors that are designed as if someone had written words or made naive drawings in the dust on these mirrors.

The steel / porcelain plastic Fuck it, Free Yourself! shows burning banknotes on a metal box; the fire burned them, but it does not destroy them.

In addition to surprising or even seemingly humorous sculptures, Matelli also produces allegorical works “with more unsettling aspects of human life and human society”, in which the central figures are covered with tumors, pierced by objects or slain, vomited, or fighting for life and death.

Self-view and perception

Matelli sees his own work as follows: “ There is a romantic impulse in my work that wants to give shape to my feelings, thoughts and the way I see the world. I am fascinated by that moment when you become aware of a shift in perception in your surroundings, what was a seemingly real experience becomes a complicated art experience. This approach to art is really powerful. It makes everything else (just) seem like a prop that only hinted at an idea. The accuracy of the practice has a huge impact on me and my work has an impact in that sense. “Matelli gave insights into his way of working in further interviews.

Lisa Fischman, the director of the Davis Museum, describes Matelli's art as follows: “ In Matelli's works, the physical laws of objects are often reversed, turned upside down or atomized, and these skillful manipulations of matter and gravity result in profound reorientations in perspective and perspective . Matelli creates a kind of distortion field, a lens through which one reality is questioned and another is created. "

Controversy over the plastic sleepwalker

As part of the Matelli exhibition New Gravity in Davis Museum was the hyper-realistic sculpture on February 3, 2014 Sleepwalker ( Sleepwalkers ) on the campus of Wellesley College , a private college for women with about 2,300 students in Wellesley, Massachusetts , situated on a street. The 1.75 m (5 feet , 9 inches ) high, realistically painted bronze sculpture shows a somnambulistic white man with short hair, a small beer belly , closed eyes and stretched arms, dressed only in loose underpants .

Immediately after the sculpture was set up, a college student started a petition to both College President H. Kim Bottomly and Museum Director Lisa Fischman entitled "Move the Sleepwalker to the Davis Museum" with the aim of removing the Sleepwalker from the outdoor area of college removed and brought inside the Davis Museum. By February 13, there were 932 supporters for the petition. In the summary it says:

“ The almost naked man sculpture on Wellesley College campus is an inappropriately and potentially harmful addition to our community that we, as student bodies, want to see immediately removed from the outdoor space and brought to the Davis Museum. There the students can view the installation at their own request. "

The motivation and arguments for removing the sleepwalker have been criticized as "... a strangely puritanical distortion of liberalism".

On February 5, 2014, H. Kim Bottomly and Lisa Fischman issued a joint statement that the plastic should remain on campus until July 20, 2014, as intended. The reasoning states:

“ [The sculpture] started a passionate conversation about art, gender, sexuality and individual experience, both on campus and in the media. [Only] The very best works of art have the power to stimulate very personal feelings and provoke unexpected new ideas, and this sculpture is no exception. "

The Matelli plastic Stray Dog , an abandoned guide dog with a harness, which was also displayed in the outdoor area, received little or no public attention.

Exhibitions

Since his thesis exhibition at the Cranbrook Academy of Art (CAA Art Museum, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, USA) in 1995, Matelli's works have been shown in more than 200 national and international solo and group exhibitions ( status quo , early 2014). Some exhibitions were announced under defined titles: Hopes and Dreams (1999), One Man Show (2009), Glass of Water (2011), A Human Echo (2013), New Gravity (2014).

Works by Matelli can be found in the following museums: ARoS Aarhus Kunstmuseum , Bergen Kunstmuseum, Centro Cultural Andratx , Cranbrook Art Museum , The Altoids Curiously Strong Collection (New York), Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal , Magasin 3 Stockholm Konsthall, Musée d ' Art Moderne Grand-Duc Jean (Mudam) , Museum Ludwig , Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa , The Philbrook Museum of Art ( Tulsa ), State Center for Contemporary Art (Moscow), Skive New Art Museum, and Uppsala Konstmuseum.

Lectures and seminars

Between 1998 and 2012, Matelli gave 38 seminars and lectures in museums, universities and art schools in the United States and Canada .

Quotes

  • When asked what he could imagine doing if he didn't do what he did, Matelli replied during an interview: “ I've never really thought about it too much, but I'm sure I would be terribly bad at it. "
  • Regarding the controversy surrounding the Sleepwalker , Matelli, who was enthusiastic about the public reaction to the sculpture, said: “ Everyone brings their own interpretation, their own story and their own luggage to a work of art. I think in this work people might see things that are just not there. "

Monographs

  • Tony Matelli and Lisa Fischman: Tony Matelli , Leo Koenig (2003)
  • Tony Matelli and Marie Nipper: Tony Matelli. A Human Echo , Koenig Books (2013), ISBN 978-3-86335-235-6 .

literature

  • Hanna Styrie: Venus with rubber ears , Kölnische Rundschau, April 3, 2007.
  • Matt Distel: Tony Matelli, Fucked and Ancient Echo , Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati (2007) ISBN 978-0-917562-81-5 .
  • Survival , Gary Tatintsian Gallery, Incorporated (2009)
  • Tony Matelli: A Human Echo , ARoS Aarhus Kunstmuseum, Koenig Books (2012)
  • Tony Matelli: Glass of Water ; [Exhibition Falkenrot Prize 2011: Tony Matelli, Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin, April 29-May 22, 2011], Walther König (editor), 2011, ISBN 978-3-86335-034-5 .

Web links

References and comments

  1. ↑ Artist's sculpture raises eyebrows, discussions ( Memento of the original from February 22, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.gazettextra.com archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , GazetteXtra, February 7, 2014
  2. ↑ a b Tony Matelli at www.artnet.com
  3. ↑ List of the exhibition on Matelli's website ( Memento of the original dated February 22, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.tonymatelli.com
  4. ↑ a b c Judith Ann Moriarty: Down, but not out: Tony Matelli at The Green Gallery East ( Memento of the original from February 22, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / thirdcoastdaily.com archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Urban Milwaukee, Third Coast Daily, Nov. 2, 2009
  5. ↑ Windows, Walls, and Mirrors ( Memento of the original dated February 24, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / vimeo.com archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Brendan Keegan's video on Tony Matelli's work
  6. ↑ a b c d R.J. Preece: Tony Matelli interview: Human echo (2014) , artdesigncafé, February 11, 2014
  7. ↑ a b Cosmin Nasui: Tony Matelli: Hyperrealism in American Sculpture , Modernism, March 6, 2013
  8. ^ Bernard Zurcher, Karine Lisbonne: L'Art, avec pertes ou profit? . Flammarion, April 2010, ISBN 978-2-08-123569-4 , pp. 60-61.
  9. ↑ RC Baker: Spring Guide 2012: No Vomiting Boy Scouts This Time from Tony Matelli , The Village Voice, March 28, 2012
  10. ↑ Martha Schwendler: Art in Review; Tony Matelli , New York Times, February 9, 2007
  11. ↑ In the original: "There is a romantic impulse in my work, that strives to give form to my emotions and thoughts and the way I see the world. I'm fascinated with that moment when you become aware of a perceptual shift in your environment, so what was a seemingly real-life experience becomes a complicated art experience. That approach to art is really powerful. It makes everything else seem like a prop that only pointed to an idea. The precision of praxis has a great impact on me, and my work operates in that spirit. "
  12. ^ A b Announcement of the Tony Matelli exhibition New Gravity ; Wellesley College website ( Memento of the original dated February 8, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (engl.) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.wellesley.edu
  13. ↑ (Engl.) Interviews with Tony Matelli and statements on his work ( Memento of the original February 19, 2014 Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link is automatically inserted and not yet tested. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.tonymatelli.com
  14. ↑ In the original: “In Matelli's work the physical laws of objects are often reversed, upended or atomized, and with these deft manipulations of matter and gravity come profound reorientations in perspective and ways of seeing. Matelli creates a distortion field of sorts, a lens through which to question one reality and create another. "
  15. ^ Announcement of the Tony Matelli exhibition on the Wellesley College website
  16. ↑ Michael Smith: Wellesley All Girl College Screams at Nearly Nude Statue It's a Man! , Guardian Liberty Voice, Feb. 6, 2014
  17. ↑ a b Jaclyn Reiss: Q&A with Tony Matelli, artist behind Wellesley College's scantily-clad sleepwalking statue , The Boston Globe, February 6, 2014
  18. ↑ In the original: "Move the" Sleepwalker "Inside the Davis Museum."
  19. ^ Petition: Move the "Sleepwalker" Inside the Davis Museum
  20. ↑ Art dispute at the Women's College: underpants statue stresses students , Spiegel Online February 6, 2014
  21. ↑ In the original: "The sculpture of the nearly naked man on the Wellesley College campus is an inappropriate and potentially harmful addition to our community that we, as members of the student body, would like removed from outdoor space immediately, and placed inside the Davis Museum. There, students may see the installation of their own volition. "
  22. ↑ In the original: It's a weirdly Puritan strain of liberalism.
  23. ↑ Charlotte Alter: Man Up, Wellesley: You're a Generation of Sheltered Children , Time Ideas, Feb. 6, 2014
  24. ↑ In the original: "[The sculpture] has started an impassioned conversation about art, gender, sexuality, and individual experience, both on campus and on social media. The very best works of art have the power to stimulate deeply personal emotions and to provoke unexpected new ideas, and this sculpture is no exception. "
  25. ^ Jaclyn Reiss: Statue of sleep-walking man triggers controversy at Wellesley College , The Boston Globe, February 6, 2014
  26. ↑ List of the exhibition on Matelli's website ( Memento of the original dated February 22, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.tonymatelli.com
  27. ↑ In the original: "What could you imagine doing if you didn't do what you do?" "I never really thought about it too much, but I am certain I would be terrible at it."
  28. ^ Jacob Muselmann: Art City Asks: Tony Matelli , Journal Sentinel Online, February 5, 2013
  29. ↑ In the original: “Everyone brings to a work of art their own interpretation, their own history and their own baggage. I think people might be seeing things in that work that just aren't there. "
personal data
SURNAME Matelli, Tony
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American sculptor and installation artist
DATE OF BIRTH 1971
PLACE OF BIRTH Chicago , Illinois