Mateo | Contemporary Artist: Artworks & Biography

Mathieu Bories has always been fascinated by the ability to convey emotion or thought in pictures. For him, creative activities are essential to personal development. So, at 18 he leaned towards an artistic academic route: first a Masters of Fine Arts from the University of Toulouse Le Mirail before heading to Montreal where he would specialize in graphic arts. Art clearly became the main fibre in his life. Thanks to art, he learned to observe and see the things around him in a new way. Memories, childhood, rehearsals all appeared like so many fundamental issues to explore. Ever since the artist has been moving ""from surprises to adventures"" following his artistic projects. In 2012, he discovered South America. The excitement of life and the colours of the countries he visited would forever mark his artistic approach. There, Mathieu Bories would become Mateo. First using wall stencils in black and white, his choice of spray paint or acrylic diversified gradually. Latin America showed him the importance of colour: the works came to life and the impact on the viewer was magnified. In the city, Mateo’s inspiration covers the walls with ethnic motifs and bright and contrasting portraits. In his studio the artist varies materials and textures. Travel is always in the spotlight because it opens the doors to themes that are dear to him: knowledge of self and the world around us. His creations are intertwined, forming a travel book, diary of his feelings and the fruit of his experiences. He likes to link words to images and incorporates his favourite quotes and photographs into his works. Mateo improvises and practices the art of collage with dexterity. Pictorial elements are superimposed with objects that he gleans from the streets. He gives them a second life, readily applying the precept of the famous filmmaker Jean Luc Godard; what matters ""is not where you take things from, but where you take them to."" He naturally uses salvaged materials because according to him the impurities of a wooden plank or metal plate animate the work. Mateo cleverly mixes street art, surrealism and collages to give us a colourful vision of the world and tribute to the aesthetic and emotional richness of the different cultures and faces that he meets. As much a need for expression as a passion, he now devotes himself entirely to his artistic career. This young talent, an admirer of street art greats such as Banksy, C215 or Seth, will soon in turn leave his mark, as far as his curiosity will take him.