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Mat Tomezsko

14 Movements: A Symphony In Color And Words

This summer, I'll be making a mile-long painting along the Broad Street median for the DNC.
It's called 14 Movements: A Symphony In Color And Words
It's a huge abstract painting incorporating elements of music composition, poetry, visual art, experience, and movement. I'm honored to be collaborating with the current poet laureate of Philadelphia, Yolanda Wisher, to create language for the piece. I am drawing from word choice and themes found in her acclaimed book of poetry, Monk Eats an Afro. 

You can read about the project here: 

Philadelphia Magazine

Philly Voice

Philadelphia Inquirer

Mural Arts


The piece will be installed in late July.  
Check me out on Instagram to follow progress and to see related language paintings:
https://www.instagram.com/mtomezsko/

The City Real & Imagined

The City Real & Imagined: Urbanism, Identity, and Identification

At The Painted Bride Art Center

January 23 - March 8

Opening Reception February 6, 5-7pm

Poetry reading and performance with CAConrad and Frank Sherlock: Thursday, February 5, 7 – 9 pm
Talk and Book Signing with Richard Ross: Saturday, March 7, 1 pm

Featuring:

Amze Emmons

Jesse Krimes

Drew Leshko

Roberto Lugo + Mat Tomezsko

The exhibition features five artists who make art inspired by their direct environment. For our contribution, Roberto Lugo and I created a collaborative project entitled I Was Of Three Minds: Understanding America Through Bluebirds and Blackbirds, in which we each explore the role of external factors such as race and class on the formation of identity and self-perception. This collaboration marks the evolution of our thinking after first exhibiting together in the Juvenile In Justice exhibition at the Crane Arts in November 2013. It is also a part of InLiquid’s Art For Action program, which uses art exhibitions as a platform for dialog, community events, and social awareness efforts.

Here are some samples of my work for the exhibition:

There Are Too Many Heavens To Ever Tell, spray paint and acrylic on canvas, 2015

Somewhere This Is Sisyphus, spray paint and acrylic on canvas, 2015

In addition to the abstract paintings, I created a series of portraits of family, friends, neighbors, and strangers painted on mirrors entitled Self-Portrait As A Bluebird, Self-Portrait As A Blackbird

Installation shots:

Press for the exhibition:

Nice mention on Philly Voice here

And a thoughtful analysis in the Temple News here

"The Near Future": A Painting Installation at the Spruce Street Harbor Park

The Near Future, 2014, 36"x48" Acrylic and spraypaint on canvas, weatherproofed.

This piece is on view at the Spruce Street Harbor Park from July 19 to August 31. 

The park is located on the Delaware River at Spruce Street and Columbus Blvd.

Art in the Open 2014

AiO is a juried art event celebrating the way artists interact with their urban environment. The selected group of artists are invited to take their studio practice outside to produce work in the open, create a temporary presentation, and interact with visitors. It took place May 16-18 along the Schuylkill Banks. This was the second time I participated. I made spray paintings on canvas mimicking natural patterns and textures with an unnatural medium, then installed them on an existing free-standing wall that was once the base of a bridge. My goal was to accent the wall with the size, color, and patterns of the paintings in order to have the wall itself become an art object.

Installation shot, exhibition at University City Arts League

94X

A couple of months after There Is No was shown with the Juvenile In Justice exhibition, I revisited the themes found in the original 94 pieces. I made six new paintings that reflect my thoughts about this body of work while taking into account my growth as a painter.

Juvenile In Justice

Photo by Richard Ross

There Is No, is exhibited in the Juvenile In Justice exhibition at the Crane Arts on view November 8 - December 12. 

There Is No is a series of ninety-four paintings intended to address urban violence and the experience of loss. It began as a Mural Arts Program project called The Ninety-Four Effect which was based around a study that concluded that for every victim of urban homicide, ninety-four people are directly affected. Having lost a friend to homicide in 2005, I myself am one of those ninety-four, and so, in July 2012, I led workshops at the Covenant House, a shelter facility for homeless youth located in Kensington. With the input of the young people I worked with, and drawing from my own experience, I developed imagery and vocabulary that approximates the experience of devastation and loss. I made ninety-four paintings to represent the ninety-four people affected by one death. Each painting approaches the same subject from a different angle, so together it becomes recognizable, while remaining freshly and frustratingly elusive. 

Click here to read my interview with the InLiquid Blog

Juvenile In Justice is curated by Julien Robson and Rachel Zimmerman and features the work of photographer Richard Ross and ceramicist Roberto Lugo and painter Mat Tomezsko, on view at the Crane Arts from November 8 to December 12, 2013. 

Click here for more views of the installation

Reviews for Juvenile In Justice:

Newsworks

philly.com
The Artblog
The Inquirer
Knight Arts
Mother Jones

If you are interested in purchasing any piece from There Is No,
click here
A percentage of the proceeds will be donated to the Covenant House
and will help support the Youth Criminal Record Expungement Clinic on Dec. 3.