Matteo Emery

Combining disparate mediums, Matteo Emery’s sculptures are physical manifestations of fantastical devices drawn from the artist’s imagination. His pieces often resemble industrial tools. Emery’s choice of materials—including lead, aluminum, iron, and optical fibers—recalls Arte Povera’s embrace of humble materials, yet he filters these substances through his imagination, turning them into surreal compositions. His sculpture Pheromonic (2014), for example, is fabricated from an assemblage of aluminum vessels. It seems like a spare part for an industrial machine, yet is devoid of any function other than as an aesthetic object. Although inspired by fantastical sources, Emery’s sculptures convey a strong understanding of the formal principles of line, surface, and color, all gleaned from the artist’s education in graphic arts.