Matthew Johnson Australian, b. 1963-
Matthew Johnson was born in London in 1963 but now resides in Melbourne. From 1982-84 he attended the National Art School Sydney and received a Higher Art Certificate.
His colourful surfaces are a result of experimentation with application and layering of paint. He is extremely inspired by the work of Japanese nihonga – style painters who are trained in traditional methods of mixing rare pigments with varying textures. Johnson uses the iridescent pigment iriodin which is made from sand in his works to produce a beautiful glow.
My work emulates an abstract environment based upon variables in nature and the manmade. I imbue recent works with different observations; some based on a singular view with shifting change, and others on the filtration of light in a singular viewpoint - an environment affected by the abiotic. A static viewpoint, of a solid form or element, is constantly veiled and affected by both visible and indivisible forces. There is no one single state of condition. Weather remains the kinetic makeup of atmosphere. The artist.
EDUCATION
1984 Graduated National Art School East Sydney Higher Art Certificate
EXHIBITIONS-SOLO
2015 Weather Patterns FireWorks Gallery Brisbane
2014 Resonance Hill Smith Gallery Adelaide
2013 Blockprojects Melbourne
2013 Firebrand III: In Focus David Paulson and Matthew Johnson FireWorks Gallery Brisbane
2012 Tim Olsen gallery Sydney
2012 Greenhill Galleries Perth
2011 Blockprojects Melbourne
2010 Greenhill Galleries Perth
2010 Resonance FireWorks Gallery Brisbane
2009 AURORAL Block projects Melbourne
2009 Tim Olsen gallery Sydney
2008 From the air FireWorks Gallery Brisbane
2008 Blue: a group show FireWorks Gallery Brisbane
2007 George Petelin Gallery Gold Coast
2007 Greenhill Galleries Perth
2007 Christine Abrahams Gallery Melbourne
2006 Two Fields FireWorks Gallery Brisbane
2006 Tim Olsen Gallery Sydney
2005 Christine Abrahams Gallery Melbourne
2005 Greenhill Galleries Perth
2005 Tim Olsen Gallery Sydney
2004 Lines III FireWorks Gallery Brisbane
2004 Tim Olsen Gallery Sydney
2004 Greenhill Galleries Perth
2003 Christine Abrahams Gallery Melbourne
2003 Tim Olsen Gallery Sydney
2002 Unforseen FireWorks Gallery Brisbane
2002 Greenhill Galleries Perth
2002 Ben Grady Gallery ACT Canberra
2001 Tim Olsen Art Dealers Sydney
2001 Christine Abrahams Gallery Melbourne
2000 Tim Olsen Art Dealers Sydney
1999 Christine Abrahams Gallery Melbourne
1999 Olsen Carr Art Dealers Sydney
1998 Moments in Civilisation The Vault Contemporary Art Space
1998 Bundaberg Arts Centre Queensland
1998 Mappings James Allen Gallery Toronto Canada
1996 Christine Abrahams Gallery Melbourne
1996 Of One Of Many Olsen Carr Art Dealers Sydney
1995 Christine Abrahams Gallery Melbourne
1994 Room Exhibition Imperial Hotel New Delhi
1994 Room 32 Regents Court Hotel Sydney
1993 Studio Exhibition Sydney
1992 Christine Abrahams Gallery Melbourne
1991 Studio Exhibition Sydney
1990 Studio Exhibition Sydney
1989 Studio Exhibition Sydney
1989 Christine Abrahams Gallery Melbourne
EXHIBITIONS-GROUP
2017 Weather Patterns II FireWorks Gallery Brisbane
2016 Matthew Johnson Candescere OLSEN IRWIN Sydney
2015 Weather Patterns FireWorks Gallery Brisbane
2014 Matthew Johnson Selected Works OLSEN IRWIN Sydney
2014 INTERMISSION FireWorks Gallery Brisbane
2014 Asia Contemporary Art Show Conrad Hong Kong
2011 Blue August FireWorks Gallery Brisbane
2011 Eclectica Exhibition Series (I and III) FireWorks Gallery Brisbane
2009 Matthew Johnson New Paintings Tim Olsen Gallery Sydney
2009 The Shilo Project Ian Potter Museum touring Regional Gallery of Victoria and New South Wales
2009 Sculpture + Works on Paper FireWorks Gallery Brisbane
2008 2 x 2 Tim Olsen Gallery Annex Sydney
2008 Block Projects Melbourne
2008 Contemporaneous Australian Contemporary Painting 1 Wangaratta Victoria
2007 Points of Departure Tobey Fine Arts New York
2007 Views on Abstraction Hill Smith Gallery South Australia
2007 Tactile Imagination Design Research Processes Ivan Dougherty Gallery Sydney
2007 Utopian Visions & The slump of Paradise Block Projects Melbourne
2006 Matthew Johnson Recent Works Tim Olsen Gallery Sydney
2006 10 Chancery Lane Gallery Hong Kong
2006 Dick Bett Gallery Hobart
2005 10 Chancery Lane Gallery Hong Kong
2005 Stanley Art Prize Stanley Tasmania
2004 Melbourne Art Fair Royal Exhibition Buildings Carlton Melbourne
2004 Lines III FireWorks Gallery Brisbane
2003 ART PARIS Carrousel de Louvre Paris
2003 Fresh Paint Greenhill Galleries Perth
2003 Cube + Nodrum + Abrahams Cube Gallery Adelaide
2003 Depth of Field Shepparton Art Gallery VIC & MUMA Melbourne
2002 Good Vibrations Heide Museum of Art Heidelberg
2002 Exposition collective Conseil General de Loire Atlantique Nantes France
2002 Towards Colour McClelland Gallery Langwarrin VIC
2002 Tim Olsen Gallery Sydney
2002 Greenhill Galleries Perth
2002 Lines II FireWorks Gallery Brisbane
2001 ART PARIS Carrousel de Louvre Paris
2001 Australie Visages d'un continent Galerie Visage de l'Art Marly-le-Roi
2001 Voyages dens la matiere Atelier Claude Cerf Paris
2001 Love Colour Studio 91B Adelaide
2001 Whitish Christmas Ben Grady Gallery ACT
2001-3 Hermanns Art Award national travelling exhibition
2001 Abstraction: Spirit Light Pure Form Tim Olsen Gallery Sydney
2000 Accents Australiens Espace Adamski Designs Paris
2000 Melbourne Artfair 2000 Royal Exhibition Building Carlton
2000 The Exquisite Corpse Bendigo Regional Gallery
1999 Grands et Jeunes d'Aujourd'hui Espace Eiffel Branly Paris
1999 on any given day Bundaberg Arts Centre Queensland
1999 Exposition Australie Bastille Paris France
1998 Propositions Australiennes Gallerie Luc Queyrel Paris
1998 Le Temps du Reve Bioliotheque municipale Le Perreux-sur-Marne
1997 Espace Beziers Beziers France
1997 Salon Natasha Hanoi Vietnam
1997 Devoured by Paint Olsen Carr Art Dealers Sydney
1996 Abstraction Now Geelong Regional Gallery Victoria
1996 Flagging the Republic Sherman Galleries Sydney
1996 Aer Phoste Dublin Ireland
1995 Icon of our Times Salon Natasha Hanoi Vietnam
1995 3x3 Touring Residencies/Sites Sydney Christchurch Auckland Berlin Canberra & Beijing
1995 Works on Paper - A Selection Christine Abrahams Gallery Melbourne
1995 Moet And Chandon Touring Exhibition State Galleries of Australia
1995 Hidden Treasures SH Ervin Gallery Sydney
1994 Bet Your Life II Annandale Galleries Sydney
1994 House Canberra curated and co-ordinated by the artist
1994 Re-placing Australian Painting Rosinis & Test Tube Gallery Auckland NZ
1993 Moet And Chandon Touring Exhibition State Galleries of Australia
1993 Contemporary Australian Painting Works From The Allen Allen & Hemsley Collection Westpac Gallery Victorian Arts Centre
1993 Australian Perspecta 93 Art Gallery of New South Wales
1992 Future City - Art & Architecture Bond Store Sydney
1992 Alphabet/Haemorrhage Performances from the Black Box - assistant to Mike Parr Museum of Contemporary Art Sydney
1991 Over East Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery The University of Western Australia
1991 Microcosm Garry Anderson Gallery Sydney
1989 Fresh Art S H Ervin Gallery Sydney
1989 William Dobell Foundation Art Prize Ray Hughes Gallery Sydney
1989 Fishers Ghost Art Prize Campbelltown City Art Gallery
1988 Seven New Artists Christine Abrahams Gallery Melbourne
1988 Ariennale EMR Gallery Sydney
1988 Australian Contemporary Art Fair 1 (ACAF) Melbourne
1988 Faber Castell Drawing Prize Rex Irwin Gallery Sydney
1987 Mori Gallery Sydney
1985 New South Wales Travelling Art Scholarship Exhibition
1985 Faber Castell Prize For Drawing Rex Irwin Gallery Sydney
COMMISSIONS
2011 South Morang Station artwork Project in association with Cox Architects department of Transport Victoria
2010 Coolaroo Station Public Artwork in association with the Department of Transport VIC Alessio Fini and Berlin Design and students of Coolaroo South Primary School
2010 CBD Metro Tender Stage artistic consultation in association with Merren Morrison and Grimshaw Architects
2009-2010 Garland Row Sydney Screen Design for Alex Popov Architects and PJ Developments
2009-2010 CBD Metro Project in association with New South Wales Government Phillip Cox Architects Alessio Fini Phi Design Sydney and Hassle Group
2006-08 TAC Building Geelong in association with McGauran Gianni Soon Architects Melbourne
2005 Glenroy Learning Centre in association with McGauran Gianni Soon Architects Melbourne
2005 Hue in association with Clement Jackson Burrows & SC Land Developments Melbourne
2004-05 Moment Multiplex Architects Wood Marsh Consultants Turpin Crawford Studio Sydney
2004 Emanation Still Life Book Cover design for "The Cooks Companion" Stephanie Alexander in association with Penguin Group
2002 Sunfield Stage I Stage II Stage III Australian Wheat Board Melbourne
2002-3 Yellow House Screens in association with The Yellow House & Philip Bartlett Projects Sydney
2001 Seasons 4 Panels Chadstone Shopping Centre Melbourne
1997-8 Babylonian Frieze MG Garage in association with PJ Developments and Alex Tzannes Architects Sydney
AWARDS RESIDENCIES & GRANTS
2009 Victoria Commercial Architecture award in association with MGS Architects ML Design Geelong
2008 Australia Council Barcelona Residency Spain
2002 Cite des Artes International Artist Residency Paris
2001 Artist in Residence Bundanon New South Wales
2000 Arts Victoria Travel Research Grant Gabo Island Victoria
1999-00 Parks Victoria Artist in Residence Program Pettys Orchard Templestowe Victoria
1998-99 Artist in Residence Bundaberg Arts Centre Queensland
1995 Travel Research Grant Australia Council (VACB)
1993 Fisher's Ghost Art Prize Campbelltown City Gallery New South Wales
1988 Faber Castell Prize for Drawing
COLLECTIONS
QUT Art Museum
AIS Insurance Collection
Allen Allen & Hemsley Sydney
Artbank Sydney
Australian Wheat Board Melbourne
BHP Collection Melbourne
Bundaberg Arts Centre Queensland
Campbelltown City Art Gallery NSW
Deloitte Ross Tohmatsu
Gandel Group Chadstone Melbourne
Faber Castell Collection Sydney
Freehill Hollingdale & Page Melbourne
Monash University Museum of Art
Corporate collections throughout Australia and private collections in Australia
Cologne Munich New York Madrid Seoul and Vancouver Canada
Holmes à Court Collection Perth
Hyatt Hotel Perth
Heide Museum of Art Melbourne
Macquarie Bank Macquarie Bank
Mallesons Stephen Jacques Melbourne
Moorilla Museum & Art Gallery Tasmania
News Corporation
RACV
State Bank Victoria
Victor and Loti Smorgon Collection Melbourne
Visy Industrial Packaging Melbourne
La Trobe University Museum of Art
PUBLICATIONS
Andrew Frost SMH review solo exhibition Tim Olsen Gallery August 3 2012
Ingrid Perez Matthew Johnson's Circles of Light Australian Art Collector Issue 34 Oct - Dec 2005
Ashley Crawford Matthew Johnson: Peregrination The Age Review Saturday Oct 16 2005
Martin Shub Art Right Now Exhibition News wwwGallerydiscoverymediacomau
Annabel Dean Swatch this Space SMH July 21 2005
Peter King Catalogue Essay Greenhill Galleries 2005
Betsy Brennan Vogue Living Apartments 2004
Ashley Crawford Catalogue Essay Christine Abrahams Gallery 2003
Karen Hall Catalogue Essay Depth of Field Shepparton Regional Art Gallery 2003
Geraldine O'Brien News and Features (Yellow House Project) Sydney Morning Herald 22 March 2003
Karen Hall Catalogue Essay Tim Olsen Gallery 2003
Robert Nelson Photography and Painting in Cahoots The Age Jan 25 2003
Sandra McLean Take Your Sunnies Article The Courier Mail Mon 28 October 2002
Zara Stanhope Catalogue Essay Good Vibrations Heide Museum of Art 2002
Harry Kampianne A lA Decouverte del'Art Australien Arts Actual 2000
John Peter Brakewood Review Art Actual 1998
Neville Western Review West Australian June 2002
Michael Eather Lines II Catalogue essay 2002
Carol Marando Amateurs Dominate Drawing Prize Review Faber Castell Prize Eastern Herald 1/9/88
Elwyn Lynn Review of Faber Castell Prize Weekend Australian 3/9/88
Ronald Millar Review of solo exhibition at Christine Abrahams Gallery Melbourne Herald 5/7/89
Australian Elle Young at Art May 1990
Sandra Murray Over East Catalogue Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery Perth 1991
Betsy Brennan Vogue Living April 1992
Judy Annear Moet & Chandon Touring Catalogue 1993Felicity Fenner Looking for Life Support Sydney Morning Herald July 1994
Felicity Fenner Review of Moet & Chandon Sydney Morning Herald Sept 1993
Davina Jackson Future City Art & Architecture Exhibition Catalogue 1992
Bruce James Review of Australian Perspecta The Australian 9 Oct 1993
John Kavanagh Youthful Vigour in Perspecta Business Review Weekly 22/10/93
Natalie King Australian Perspecta '93 Exhibition Catalogue AGNSW
Victoria Lynn Australian Perspecta 93 Exhibition Catalogue AGNSW
Ewen McDonald Contemporary Aust'n Painting: Works from Allen Allen & Hemsley Collection 1993
Paul McGillick An Elegant Perspecta Australian Financial Review 22 Oct 1993
John Neylon The Discreet Charm of the Moet Award Art & Australia Vol1 No31 Spring 1993
Nicholas Baume Room 32 Art & Text 1995
Rita Carlos Replacing Australian Painting Planet Magazine Jan95
Elwyn Lynn Review of Moet & Chandon Prize The Australian 24/2/95
John McDonald Review of Moet & Chandon Prize SMH 15 Feb 1995
Paul McGillick Review of Moet & Chandon Prize Financial Review 26 Feb 1995
Harford Sonia Matthew Johnson The Age 25 April 1995
John McDonald Review of One of Many SMH May 1996
Bernard McAll Catalogue essay for Christine Abrahams Gallery 1995
Sabastian Smee Review of exhibition at Olsen Carr SMH 1999
Simeon Kronenberg Catalogue essay Christine Abrahams Gallery March 2001
Andrew Frost Review of exhibition at Christine Abrahams Gallery Australian Art Collector March 2001
Terry Ingram Christies Contemporary Auction Financial Review May 5 2001