The world of his monsters features a morbid charm and provokes very different emotions: Apart from ironic and funny elements there is often also a certain tragic moment in his comic-styled paintings. Therefore, the native Californian manages to represent his very personal view upon every day life in a pretty impressing way.
Mateo already had a certain affection for gross things during his childhood: For example he used to collect spiders in a jar on his desk. And also his early paintings showed this preference: Objects from the real world were much less interesting for Mateo than the sometimes weird creatures from his own world. Today he lives and works in Berlin, where he paints on old signs, doors or cigar boxes which he has found by chance. He can be met frequently at the flea market at Boxhagener Platz or in his gallery Zozoville, which he runs together with an artist colleague and which is absolutely worth visiting not only because of the paintings but also its workshop-styled flair.
www.mateo-art.com www.zozoville.com
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