Travellers 2016

Babak-Matveev made Travellers, we don’t know exactly when, but it feels like it was conjured rather than made. The world shimmers with light and reflection and these children stand, monumental, on their tiny boat, looking out to us. The colors are rich but muted, full of greens and pinks like an overgrown garden. A lot of folk art has this same balance between bright colors and a kind of dreaminess, it is something I always try to emulate in my own painting. The water lilies and flowers around the boat have been painted in a loose way, almost like they are sketched in, yet you still get a sense of their volume and texture. It reminds me of the work of Paula Rego. Both artists create their own dreamlike realities through composition and brushstroke. Rego said "The job of an artist is to make people see the world in a different way." I think it’s fair to say Babak-Matveev has done just that.