“Praise for poets and other artists”, “Deeply ordered chaos” or “Accidents, failure and something else” are some representative works of Pedro Matos that interestingly highlight the artist’s creative statement and concentrate on decay, deconstruction and deterioration. The Portuguese-born Pedro Matos (b. 1989) studied Fine Arts at the University of Lisbon and continued his studies at the Central St. Martins College in London and now lives in Lisbon. Matos is an emerging artist who has presented his work internationally from the UK and Italy to the US, Spain, Mexico and Portugal.

Mainly producing abstract paintings, Matos aims to examine the imagery of the urban space and the fundamentals that embody it. Social concerns are significantly linked with his works; artistically, abstraction functions for him as the means to deliver artworks that confront ideas about the ephemeral side of our reality. His creative investigation uses displacement and the process of rotting and decomposition of the urban landscape.

Words: Yannis Kostarias

Depicting diligently unfinished or beautifully deconstructed representations, Matos’ works usually challenge our perception of human imperfection as well as about the material reality we live in. Although the decay often produces negative thinking, underlying the inevitable end of our material world, there is still an aesthetic potential within it that embodies important elements of enlightenment. Deconstruction is associated with the human existence; the artist not only aims to familiarise the viewer with this idea, but also to simplify it.

His artworks are usually accompanied by thoughtful titles such as “Deeply ordered chaos”, “You can get it for the rest of your life”, “I was waiting for a rail replacement bus in Hackney Wick”; Matos underlines the dynamics of this paintings by long or poetic names, which create an additional aesthetic value on the artwork’s identity. Instead of “untitled” artworks, the artists indicates his preference for a more intimate approach towards his art and the viewer. As a gallery visitor, I always pay attention to the titles that may add an alternative read of the artwork, which I particularly feel engaged to. Matos’ rather personal naming of his works is not just an act of confidence, but also a generous exposure of the artist, allowing greater engagement and room for interpretation.

Matos’ visual vocabulary has not been limited to minimalist or abstract artworks, but he has also experimented with a realistic figurative painting style, infused by the artistic mixture of the long-lasting Portuguese azulejo technique, as well as new media art elements. Once again, there is a hidden dialogue between tradition and contemporary art themes in his art; heritage values and ideas are deconstructed and fresh cultural outcomes complete the aesthetic base of Matos’s artistry.

 I recently had the chance to explore Matos’ artworks at the Dot Project art space in London, where an interesting group exhibition shed light on other Portuguese emerging artists, too; like Paulo Arraiano and Ricardo Passaporte. Now, in this interview with ArtVerge, Pedro Matos opens up his temperament and shares interesting details not only about his art identity, but also about his attitude towards life as a modern young man.

http://www.pedromatos.org/