Dionnys Matos Holguín, Cuba | 1991
The work of Dionnys Matos is a meditation on objects and matter, and perhaps time, where cups, bowls, discarded packaging and debris are transformed from their raw materials into symbols of their meaning and a reflection on their presence in our lives. These objects are obsessively treated, sometimes injected with acrylic, and inhabited by a sophisticated color palette with almost monastic subtleties. His work is essentially, ecocritical and turns our gaze to the complex everydayness of use, finding poetry therein.
Dionnys Matos was born in Holguín, “the City of Parks”, near the mountains and the sea; so, it’s not surprising that nature and the challenges that it faces, define his voice. After graduating from the Professional Academy of Plastic Arts, EL ALBA in 2010, Matos focused on the audiovisual as a tool to create social questions and emphasize life and death; a theme which is rooted throughout his work both plastic and audiovisual. He has won several awards in Cuba, such as the ICAIC Youth Exhibition, Almacén de la Imagen, TV Serrano, and Havana Time.
The nature world moves me, it affects me, from a small piece of garbage on the beach to the excessive consumption and its consequences (…) I have the conviction that a change can be generated from art. And that is what I want to do with my work.
Matos moves between painting, photography, acrylic-injected bubble wrap, and other media, with an ease that evidences a constant process of self-awareness as a creator. In his multiple series, he transits from the contemplation of beauty and tranquility to the contemplation of chaos and catastrophe, and not as gentle metaphors, it is the weight of reality: one day we may wake up and beauty will only be the memory of what our natural world once was.
His work has been widely exhibited and collected in Latin America and the United States.
The artist works and lives in Miami.
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Stillness As a Metaphor
Estela Ferrer, CdeCuba, January 5, 2023 -
Dionnys Matos: "The way to show the beautiful"
Hypermedia Magazine, April 13, 2022 -
Artists Wage War on Waste
Design Indaba Staff, Design Indaba, April 15, 2021 -
Artist draws attention to the single-use plastic crisis
Inhabitat Staff, Inhabitat, April 15, 2021 -
All artists go to the city of skyscrapers. A sample of Dionnys Matos
Sindy Rivery, Rialta, February 26, 2021 -
Dionnys Matos: Take a Minute: A Show of Resilience
Surface Staff, Surface, February 17, 2021
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Materials
Group Show June 22 - August 11, 2023Thomas Nickles Project is pleased to announce the group summer show Materials. The exhibition delves into the profound impact of material choices on artistic expression, offering the tools to foster...Read more -
Take A Minute: A Show of Resilience
Dionnys Matos February 17 - April 18, 2021Take a Minute: A Show of Resilience is the first solo exhibition of multi-disciplinary artist Dionnys Matos. The work is a celebration of the resiliency of the materials he uses...Read more
