bluebee magazine - volume 2

Matteo Bernasconi - Photography by Vincent Long

Matteo Bernasconi

Photography by Vincent Long

bluebee met Matteo Bernasconi to talk about what it means to be a real artist and how selfrepresentation can be successful.

Since Matteo left Italy 12 years ago, he has lived all over the world, eventually settling in Sydney six years ago. There, he runs a multifunctional art gallery with a jewellery designer friend. For Matteo, galleries that are run by artists are more interesting than the stiff-upper-lip, posh places that are normally found in the city centres of the world.

In bringing to Australia a new concept of art, Peach Black seeks to bring to the city a new playful and innovative art space, not only a traditional exhibitor and seller, but also a spaceto experience and live,to build a dialogue and a conversation about contemporary

Australian art. Peach Black works to deliver a rich art program consisting ofworkshops and multidisciplinary cultural events.

Art should invite people to talk about it. It should trigger interest from all social classes. His secret is that his gallery also hosts concerts, and he gives art classes for beginners. This encourages more people to broaden their horizons and to interact with all sorts of artistic forms, thereby breaking down barriers. However, offerings also contribute financially so that he can still do what he loves most – art. Currently he concentrates only on selling his art in his own gallery. Although he sells online, he believes that original

art pieces can be difficult to sell if they are not experienced in person. Prints can be sold easier digitally.

Matteo doesn’t like to put a label on his art style, as he tries to explore and change his style over and over again. He doesn’t have a specific method; instead, he feels that his method and technique change every time he starts a new painting, and the approach needs to be related to the subject and the topic. Moreover, he uses techniques in ways that are different to how they worked before or for which they were originally made.

He thinks that the word consistency often becomes confused with

Matteo Bernasconi at Peach Black - Photography by Vincent Long

Matteo Bernasconi

Photography by Vincent Long

repetition, and success can sometimes represent the death of an artist. The themes he explores often portray the depths of humans, hidden sides that we don’t often explore, rather than just the mere physical appearance or façade.

Matteo recommends taking a time-out from painting every now and then, just to explore other things. Read about something you are interested in, such as literature, philosophy or even physics, history or other areas that you normally don’t experience. Immerse yourself fully within something new. This allows you to see the world differently and to grow as an artist.

Art should invite people to talk about it. It should trigger interest from all social classes.

Because art is more than colour on a canvas, artworks represent something and should make a statement. A painted portrait can tell so much more about a person than photography. It is not just pigments on canvas, although that is an important part. If your art doesn’t have anything to say, it’s not worth looking at. If you think of the masters such as Picasso, they first studied to paint in a realistic style. Thereafter, they pushed boundaries, developing and changing their style, becoming more abstract and expressive. However, the art market is tough, and if something sells well, it is difficult for some galleries to adapt to an artist’s new style.

Matteo advises that art should not be done only for the sake of gallery representation. Do not think that if you are in a gallery, this is the road to success. Rather do art for the sake of the art and yourself, first. If you are serious about being an artist, do art not only when you feel like it. One day Matteo thought that if he wanted to be a professional artist, he needed to act like one. Therefore he decided to do art every single day for one year. This was when his art improved significantly. Commitment is important. Art has a powerful way to bring you to different places you may have never thought about. Art is your life. Live it.