matto lucas

ARTIST STATEMENT

"I own this space.

Creating art is a way for me to belong to myself. Using photography as a foundation I exploit the perception of truth and value. Through constructing false realities or by attacking the photograph directly, do these tainted images retain their façade? Do they still represent a believable truth? Is this valuable? In questioning human worth, my concern is to own space or property, whether that is intellectual, conceptual or physical (gallery) space. The artworks present the manipulated body that transgresses both fragility and empowerment. It exists to be both frightened and frightening.

It exists. I exist."

BIOGRAPHY

Matto Lucas, an emerging Australian visual artist, has undertaken a Bachelor of Design Arts at the Australian Academy of Design, majoring in Visual Arts and Photo Media. In 2011 Lucas was shortlisted for the Metro Gallery Art Award. Employed as the Gallery Manager for the Owl and the Pussycat Gallery in Richmond during 2011, he has had secondment experience at art venues such as No Vacancy Gallery, La Mama Theatre and The Capital Arts Centre. Lucas has been involved in a number of exhibitions nationally such as:

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS:

'Metro Gallery Art Award 2011' (2011, Metro Gallery Melbourne)

'Reveal' (2012, Thousand Pound Bend Melbourne)

'Selection' (2011, Clement Meadmore Gallery Melbourne)

'Rob Macnamara Art Exhibition' (2011, Collingwood Gallery Collingwood)

'Nuclear Ball' (2011, UN Plaza Room New York)

'Fetish' (2011,The Owl and the Pussycat Gallery Melbourne)

'About My Brain' (2011, Global Galleries Sydney)

'Identity' (2011, FortyFiveDownstairs Melbourne)

'We Grew Up In The 90's' (2010, Collingwood Arts Park Melbourne)

'Photography 10B' (2010, Brunswick Street Gallery Melbourne)

'Two' Emerging Contemporary Artists' (2010, Eckersley's Exhibition Space Melbourne)

'Centenary Arts Acquisition Award' (2007,Bendigo Senior Secondary C