Tony Matelli
"Matelli's work is known for the juxtaposition of antique looking marble or concrete garden-like statuary, against abrupt hyperrealism embellishments. By contrasting these aged forms against unexpected decorations, such as cast bronze vegetables, fruit, meats and bread, the artist questions the value and purpose of classical figure. Turning them into a setting or a merely a pedestal for presenting common everyday objects, he shows his remarkable technical facility and a cautious romanticism. Both the aged feel of the statues and the freshness of the ornaments are created using elaborate fabrication process and peculiar materials. From meticulously cast and painted bronze that flawlessly depicts the bread texture or gradients of an apple peel, to use of cast glass to evoke the translucence of citrus flesh, Matelli continues to play with viewer's perception while presenting his iconoclastic temperament" —Sasha Bogojev
