Stilyaga 2016

Babak-Matveev’s "Stilyaga" is a digital artwork that bursts with color, like a garden in full bloom, or a thrift store rack after a wild colour sorting session. I imagine the artist piecing this together, a collage of thoughts, memories, and maybe a few dreams, all layered with the ease of someone who knows their way around an image. Those greens and purples aren't shy, are they? They remind me of Matisse, but with a streetwise wink. The way the figure leans, cigarette in hand, it’s like they’re saying, "Yeah, I made this, what about it?" The flatness of the digital medium lets the colours pop and the composition sing, and it makes me wonder about the artist’s process. Were they laughing? Did they agonize over the placement of each flower? I bet they had fun—I can imagine the endless hours of getting lost, and found, again. We are all in conversation, and Babak-Matveev is chatting to us, and to painting’s history, in his own way.