“Another big theme is the potential aura that art can have, that mysterious electric charge, and the fragility or limitations of that charge. Making paintings feels like alchemy, attempting to elevate the mundane. I’m interested in that as subject matter, this marriage of high and low, like the mechanic shop with an overly ornamental facade or the fish market with the elaborately arched gate”- Matt Kleberg.
Kleberg’s oil stick paintings are influenced by architecture and signage around where he has lived, in South Texas, as well as Brooklyn, New York. At first glance, Kleberg’s work appears to be highly geometric and meticulous, but upon further inspection, layers of paint, texture, and imperfections appear. The artist primarily uses oil sticks for his paintings, allowing for highly saturated colors and textures that the crayon-like material creates. The bold colors and subject matter create an electrifying, mysterious aura and spiral into portals into different worlds.