Born in 1971, in Chicago, Tony Matelli completed his BFA in Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design, later on he received his MFA degree in 1995 from Cranbrook Academy of Fine Arts.
Matelli creates objects that are both disturbing and mysterious through his representational, botanical and abstract sculptures. His extraordinary series of sculptures consists of immobile ropes that ascends to the pedestal amongst bronze sculptures and wild weeds that flourishes between the gallery walls and floors. Tony Matelli’s art works are described as skillfully portrayed illusions; his mirror pieces along with the hyper-realist bronze sculptures epitomizes. The sculptures appears as if they were created with a Hollywood effect; yet, this is an illusion. Behind their superficial positions, the hyper-realist sculptures convey substantial connotations. Matelli’s pieces, created with absurd details like an antique sculpture topped with a banana or a bust with a sandwich, causes spectators to form repulsion, laughter, shock, mesmerize, and perplexity to the spectator, immediately take place in memory.
Tony Matelli lives and works in New York.
Matelli’s art works are exhibited in numerous museums and galleries; Andréhn-Schiptjenko (Sweden), Real Estate Fine Art (ABD), 500 Capp Street (USA), Marlborough Contemporary (UK), The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum (USA), The State Hermitage Museum (Russia), Garden, Marlborough Chelsea (USA) and Marlborough Broome Street (USA), Gary Tatintsian Gallery (Russsia), The Power Station (USA), Concordia (Netherlands), National Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall (Taiwan), Marlborough Contemporary (USA)