Matthew Stone’s work, which whets the appetite of those who visit the Lounge & Bar with its vibrant colors and dynamic brushstrokes, looks at first glance to be an abstract piece of art produced by rapidly going over a beige-toned piece of cloth with a brush. Or, could it be a photograph of just such a painting? His work, which invites a string of questions of that nature, is not a painting or a photograph, but the natural product of our digital era. Utilizing the elements of computerized 3D painting techniques, Stone has developed a unique style of painting by depicting the human body with multicolored brush strokes. His creative process is very modern. He first paints on a transparent glass plate, photographs it, then synthesizes this image with other forms he has created himself using 3D software. The work is completed by printing the finished image on the canvas. This work of art, in which layers of brushstrokes that retain their analog feel are suspended in the digitized, virtual space, creating a surreal yet unique atmosphere, is a challenge to the history of painting that has long occupied itself with painting on a flat piece of canvas, as well as a new approach to modern art, where the boundaries of photography and painting continue to disintegrate.

Named one of the “most influential people in the arts under 30” by the Sunday Times in 2012, Matthew Stone is a painter who traverses the boundaries of painting, photography, and performance art with the belief that the “Optimism” imparted by art can heal the world’s darkness and evil. Photography was his first love in art, followed by the brush. Stone started from reconstructing images of paint strokes on Photoshop, developing his style that lies somewhere between representational and abstract art. Although he relies on digital technology, his work retains analog features. He only makes one print each of a given work, and his compositions contain a mixture of representation and abstraction. Starting with his solo exhibition at Somerset House in London in 2015, he has been invited to show at some of the world’s leading art museums and galleries, such as Tate Britain, the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA), the Royal Academy of Arts in the UK, the Marrakech Biennale, and the Viafarini in Milan.

B.A. (Hons) Painting (1st), Camberwell College of Arts, University of the Arts London