Australian based Matt Palmer paints New Zealand from a nostalgic distance. Matt describes his relationship with the New Zealand landscape as one of being “constantly drawn back to its dream-like qualities and emotional resonance. It is this subconscious, silent conversation that I find myself always drawn back into.”

In a meditative mode of working, Matt searches for imagery that simultaneously reminds him of his childhood and the history of the painting genre, setting out to identify that place in his imagination that falls somewhere between desire and reality, a construction of intimate experiences and highly personalised landscapes.

Matt’s father is the well-known New Zealand landscape painter, Stanley Palmer and was a large influence on the artist growing up. Matt was brought up experiencing the New Zealand countryside from multiple angles, exploring its far reaches, as he went on his father’s frequent painting excursions. Matt’s creative upbringing led him to Elam School of Art where he was taught and further inspired by Denys Watkins; following which he moved to Sydney in the mid-nineties to explore a career as film director, working extensively on short films and music videos for which he has won a range of awards in Australia and overseas.

Throughout this period Matt has been experimenting with the landscape genre attempting to bridge the gap between his painting, printmaking and film projects; developing a specific technique (and aesthetic) which lies somewhere between photography, painting and film. His distinctive work is painterly and at the same time cinematic, often brooding and always loaded with potential and untold narrative.

Matt had his first show of paintings in 2013, and two subsequent sell out exhibitions in 2014 & 2017. His paintings have been reviewed favourably by herald critic TJ McNamara and feature in a variety of private and corporate collections across Australasia, Europe and the USA.

Courtesy of Föenander Galleries