Matt Davies

Manchester based artist Matt Davies [known for his artistic input on the Nine Black Alps records covers] is exhibiting a painting entitled “Golden Virginia” along side David Hancock’s current exhibition at The Drumcroon Gallery, Wigan. The last time Hancock and Davies collaborated was in “The Beautiful People” exhibition which toured across the UK In 2003. Recently Matt has enjoyed success in John Moores 24 (2006) at The Walker Gallery, Liverpool.

Previous exhibitions include “Why can’t everything be pretty” (March 2006) at Salford University where he was accepted onto The Artist Access to Colleges Scheme. This has enabled the artist to relate to the students. The main objective was to give the students a “taster” of what life is like after University, this was made possible with workshops and seminars.

Matt paints by inter-weaving vast amounts of colour with carefully selected images to form the structure of his large-scale paintings, using everyday resources to influence his work, from newspapers / magazines cuttings to personal photographs.

His earlier work is heavily influenced by children’s drawings; he particularly enjoys the confidence of younger children’s mark making. Matt has had many exhibitions around the North West including The Lowry Hotel 2005 Autumn Exhibition and Warsaw Projects (2003-06) and is looking forward to a solo exhibition at The Lowry Hotel in August 2007.

Beautiful People January-March 2007

David Hancock has a real affinity and empathy with young people, rooted perhaps in his own experience of adolescence. The title of the exhibition, Beautiful People, comes from a body of work that enabled him to consider ideas about portraiture. The work celebrates young people’s desire for individuality and aims to communicate their evolving identity, their growing sense of themselves and how they fit within society. Their experiences often reflect on a society that is hostile to them.

David acts as a collaborator, telling his characters’ stories with the hope of developing greater understanding. His large-scale photo-realist paintings often require his subjects to embark on the creative journey with him. They are drawn into his working processes, sharing their personal spaces and experiences.

His experience as a ‘Goth’ informs his practice as an artist, enabling him to draw on musical and literary references as well as the romantic and dramatic landscapes by the Pre-Raphaelites.