About
Matt Fawkes is an English artist and designer based in Stroud, Gloucestershire. He works in oil painting, sculpture and printmaking, centring around the themes of place, globalism and visual communication.
Growing up in a rural location, in a family with strong ties to local agriculture and the historic cloth industry, he was familiarised with diverse production techniques and a celebration of the technology of making – a philosophy which can still be found in his work today.
After attending Edinburgh College of Art, he went on to graduate with a first in graphic design at Bath School of Art & Design, including a term spent at the Lucerne School of Art & Design in Switzerland. Following college he worked in brand design and digital production for internationally acclaimed creatives like Damien Hirst, Ben Goldacre MBE and Isabella Blow. Returning to Stroud, the town’s strong connection with the contemporary art world would influence and inspire his path as a visual artist.
Matt Fawkes’ work has been exhibited frequently in galleries in Stroud and London. He has also run collaborative group shows through his initiative, ‘10A Gallery’, exploring citizenship in the digital world, personal identity and pop culture. His work can be found in many private collections across the country.
Artist Statement
My artwork is conceptual, involving painting, sculpture and printmaking. The work uses traditional art and craft methods, such as oil painting, letterpress and woodwork. I often use materials with local provenance. I combine bold shapes and sparing text to create simple graphic compositions. My aim is to communicate complicated ideas about the contemporary world through a simplified visual language. In addition, my oil paintings are of classical motifs such as nudes, portraits, still life and landscapes.
To create my work I often collaborate with other practitioners. This informs the experimental aspect of my practice as new techniques emerge from the dialogue. My painting also involves an examination of colour theory and the science of light. These methods allow me to reflect on the act of making and the mediums themselves. Ultimately I am exploring the interplay of symbol and self-expression in image making, aiming to capture a heightened sense of reality.
The main concern of my work is to examine how visual communication functions, what it imparts about our ephemeral world and how its limitations isolate us in an otherwise increasingly connected civilisation. My work also contemplates the role of art as a means of identity creation. It seeks to discuss the nature of place and biography within a globalised world.
Education
1996 Edinburgh College of Art: Foundation in Art and Design
1998-2001 Bath School of Art and Design: Graphic Design BA (hons) 1st Class
Exhibitions
1997 Present. Spoonbed Studio, Gloucestershire. Curated by Colin Glen
2001 Burn. London. Graduate show
2012, 2013, 2014 Site Festival Open Studios. SVA, Stroud, Gloucestershire
2014 Ultra Modern. SVA, Gloucestershire
2015 Your Beating Heart. Gloucestershire
2015 10A Prints. Gloucestershire
