Mateo is a Montreal-based french artist who turns traditional oriental area rugs into contemporary art by spray-painting women’s portraits upon them in his series titled Faces of Tradition.
Portraits Painted On Rugs: Faces of Tradition by Mateo
Mateo’s painted rugs juxtapose traditional and symbolic motifs with contemporary depictions of feminine features, combining urban art with ancient culture.
The artist’s intent behind this series of artworks is to force us to question our cultural identity and universal consciousness in a relentless system that pushes for uniformity and homogeneity in contemporary mass culture.
The artist uses both spray paint and stencils as well as brushes on the rugs which measure either 225 x 150cm or 200 x 100cm.
“By adding a human side to traditional weavings, these works touch our deepest being, our universal consciousness, they question our cultural identity which is currently cannibalised by uniformisation and mass culture. We could call this the loss of tradition in Western societies, we lose the link with ancestral knowledge, the wisdom of our elders and the transmission of their knowledge” (Mateo)
A street artist as well, Mateo has also painted murals for his Faces of Tradition series.
The video below was shot during the creation process for an exhibition at Art Basel Miami.
Video: vimeo.com/pampastudio
Music: Araguaya Meraki Octo&Shark – Bruxelles à Minuit
Mateo
Follow Mateo on Instagram @mateo_wallpainter
Mateo is represented by Galeries Bartoux where you can find several of these.