Mat Brown

Mat Brown is a Toronto-born artist, raised in Ajax, Ontario. He attended the Ontario College of Art and Design (now, OCAD University) where he studied drawing and illustration. His work has been exhibited in both domestic and international galleries, including Wakayama Museum in Tokyo, Museum of Art and Design (M.A.D) New York, and MOCA in Toronto; as well as at a number of international art fairs including Art Basel, Art Basel Miami Beach, Art Paris, Art Toronto, and more. Brown’s work has been featured in a number of art magazines including DOJO and MIX Magazine. Currently, Mat Brown is represented by the Christopher Cutts Gallery. 

 

It was his adolescent years in Ajax, surrounded by the cultural vacuum of suburban banality, that turned Mat Brown’s attention to the darker, more perverse corners of the imagination. His works straddle the boundary between fantasy, science, and natural history, depicting nude human figures cohabitating with fantastical beasts and prehistoric animals in a world of scientific illustration and capitalistic worship. Brown’s images simultaneously trace and collapse the ages of human progress and historical development, drawing on and juxtaposing multiple reference points in a singular scene. There is a sense in his work that all of history is present on some level within the current moment.

Mat Brown (b. 1980, Canada)

 

Education

2021 Master of Fine Arts, Western University, London, CA

2014 Bachelor of Fine Arts, Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, Nova Scotia, CA

 

Select Exhibitions
2021 Spring 21, Christopher Cutts Gallery, Toronto, CA

2020 The Great Reset, Christopher Cutts Gallery, Toronto, CA
2018 An Ontological History, solo exhibition, Wakayama Museum, Tokyo, JP
2015 Director’s Choice II, group show, Christopher Cutts Gallery, Toronto, CA                                

2015 An Ontological History, solo exhibition, Christopher Cutts Gallery, Toronto, CA
2014 Summer group show, Christopher Cutts Gallery, Toronto, CA                             

2013 Summer group show, Christopher Cutts Gallery, Toronto, CA
2012 Otherworldly, Museum of art and design (M.A.D), New York, US
2012 Toronto Berlin: drawing exhibition, Berlin, DE
2011 Ineffable plasticity, Museum of Canadian Contemporary Art, Toronto, CA
2011 Bakers Dozen, Christopher Cutts Gallery, Toronto, CA
2009 Darwin Exhibition, Guelph University, Guelph, CA
2007 Art Mur, Montreal, CA
2007 Summer Splash, Christopher Cutts Gallery, Toronto, CA
2006 Darkness Ascends, MOCCA, Toronto, CA
2006 20th Anniversary Show, Christopher Cutts gallery, Toronto, CA
2006 BlazeDays, Christopher Cutts Gallery, Toronto, CA
2006 Galerie Begona Malone, Madrid, ES
2005 Society for Arts on Paper, Montreal, CA
2004 Lamour Mort, portraits of the Dead Love generation, Society for Arts on Paper, Montreal, CA
2003-2000 The NEW ROMANTICS, Revolver gallery, Beverly Hills, CA
Broke Down, The Anniversary show, A Level gallery
The machine and the flesh, The anniversary show, Art System
Blender, Mix Magazine Exhibition
Efficiency Enders Game, The Anniversary Show
Blender 3, Mind Control gallery, Toronto, CA

 

Art Fairs
2019 Art Paris, FR
2018 Art Paris, Art Miami, US
2017 Art Miami, US
2017  Positions Berlin, DE
2016 Art Miami, US
2016 Papier Montreal, CA
2015 Papier Montreal, CA
2014 Art Toronto, CA
2013 Art Miami, US
2013 Art Toronto, CA
2012 Art Miami, US
2012 Art Toronto, CA
2011 Art Chicago, US
2010 Scope Miami, US                                                                                           

2010 Scope New York, US
2009 Scope Basel, CH
2009 Art Fair Tokyo, JP
2008 ARCO Madrid, ES
2007 SCOPE NY, US
2007 DC Duesseldorf, DE
2007 Art Brussels, DE
2007 SCOPE Basel, CH
2006 Scope NY, US
2006 Berliner-Liste, DE
2005 Scope Miami, US
2004 Art Fierra Bologna, IT
2003 Artissima international art fair, IT
2003 Basel international art fair, CH
2003 Basel Miami, US
2003 Art Cologne, DE
2002 Artissima international art fair, IT
2002 Basel international art fair, CH
2002 Santa Fe New Mexico art fair, US

 

Awards
2009 The Ontario Council for the Arts, Project Grant
2008 The Canada Council for the Arts, Project Grant

Press
2009 Beautiful Decay feature article
2008 Buffalo Magazine, Spain
2006 The Toronto Star, Peter Goddard
2004 La Press, Montreal
2004 The Mirror, Montreal

 

Featured Artwork

Mat Brown

All your baes are belong to us: Rise of the fourth IR

2024
21
 x 21
 in
 (53.5
 x 53.5
 cm)

Mat Brown

Barabbas and the ship of fools: Age of Pisces, c. AD 0-2001

2021
21
 x 21
 in
 (53.3
 x 53.3
 cm)

Mat Brown

First Temple: Rise and Fall of the Age of Aries

2024
21
 x 21
 in
 (53.5
 x 53.5
 cm)

Mat Brown

Triumph of the virtues: Minerva impelling the vices

2022
11.25
 x 8.75
 in
 (28.6
 x 22.2
 cm)

Past Exhibitions

Winter Group Show – 2024
2024 Dec 07 - 21
Director’s Choice 2023
2023 Jan 21 - Feb 25
Spring 21 Group Show
2021 Apr 25 - May 30
Max Johnston – New Works / Mat Brown – The Great Reset
2020 Nov 07 - Apr 05
Winter Blast
2019 Jan 12 - Feb 09
Mat Brown – An Ontological History
2015 Oct 31 - Nov 25
DIRECTOR’S CHOICE II
2015 Feb 28 - Mar 25
Summer Group Show 2014
2014 Jul 10 - Aug 02
Summer Group Show 2013
2013 Jul 11 - 31
Bakers Dozen
2011 Feb 10 - Mar 05
Christmas Party 2008
2008 Dec 18 - Jan 31
Summer Splash
2007 Jul 07 - Aug 01
BlazeDays
2006 Sep 09 - Oct 04
20th Anniversary Group Show
2006 Jan 27 - Feb 28th

Publications

Mat Brown: All Within the Circle of Willis: The Elements

Mat Brown: All Within the Circle of Willis: A Human Natural History

Mat Brown: Our Solar System

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