J U I C E B O X F E A T U R E S
on the rise ...
We talk to up and coming artist Matthew Viera . WORDS : GEORGIA MEDLEY
Born and raised in London , with a Portuguese background , Matthew Viera tells JUICEBOX about his keen interest for art as well as technology . By combining these two passions , he developed his own style of portrait painting whereby he “ infuses the rigidness of the pixels formed within our gadgets with the fluidity of paint .” Gradating from UCA Farham in 2011 , he talks about his work , choice of medium and subjects .
“ My work focuses on the symbiosis between man and machine . The overwhelming exposure we have to technology can be seen all around us as we witness others buried in their devices , their faces engrossed on the screen in front of them , interacting with this other world known as the internet . Advances in technology and its determination to fit within our everyday lives has changed our realities , society has begun to shape itself differently now new + norms are being developed .
Graduating in 2011 I have continued to develop my portrait paintings , keeping to the themes of technology and its position in society ; as we connect with our devices our bodies lose contact with the world around us , becoming lost within the screen .
Whilst studying I developed a technique of building up my paintings through a series of layers , shaping the figures with different planes I find on my subject . By using the medium of paint , mimicking the same absorption we demonstrate with our gadgets , my gaze upon the canvas is like that which we experience with the device before us . Whilst building the image up through a series of layers the paintings go through numerous stages , each of which are still visible in the final piece .
The subjects vary from the everyday commuter to the celebrity , all of whom experience the same interaction with their screens . The faces I choose to paint are focused completely on the gadgets in front of them , which is generally not visible to the viewer , through this factor I aim to achieve a sense of voyeurism within my work , this can be seen as a response to the urban environment I have grown up in . “
You can find Matthew ’ s artwork at his social networks and website : facebook . com / MatthewVieraArt , Twitter . com / matthewvieraart and matthewviera . bigcartel . com .