Focus: Milo Matthieu

Milo Matthieu (b. 1990, Los Angeles, CA) lives and works in New York. Drawing upon the artistic history of his family heritage, in particular the Haitian paintings and African masks that populated his childhood home, Matthieu has developed a distinctive visual language of bright colors and anthropomorphic forms by which he translates his cultural legacy into contemporary terms. Representational paintings of landscapes, market scenes, and people traveling through towns and villages on tap taps—have served as a longtime inspiration for Matthieu who grew up, not in Haiti like his parents and extended family, but in Los Angeles and New York. Such paintings, as well as wooden sculptures, busts, and masks were thus integral to the creation of the rich, though distant, Haitian imaginary that informed Matthieu’s understanding of his heritage and are reflected in his paintings of bold, abstracted figures. Selected Solo exhibitions include A Note to Self, M+B Gallery, Los Angeles, US, 2023, Flowers Beyond the Sunset, Sorry We’re Closed, Brussels, BE, 2022, Silenced, Yet Celebrated, Kravets Wehby Gallery, New York, US, 2021. Selected group exhibitions include GIMME SHELTER at the Historic Hampton House, JUPITER, Miami, US, 2023, Caribbean Revels, JUPITER, Miami Beach, US, 2023 and NADA Art Fair NY, Sorry We’re Closed, New York, US, 2023.