Mat Collishaw Nottingham, UK, b. 1966
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Courtesy Mat Collishaw / VMI Studio -
Mat Collishaw is one of the most significant and compelling figures in contemporary British art, and among the founders of the Young British Artists (YBAs).
b. 1966, Nottingham, UK
Lives and works in London
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With an early foundation at Goldsmiths College, Collishaw was one of sixteen young artists who took part in Damien Hirst’s landmark Freeze exhibition in 1988, as well as in the provocative Sensation show of 1997.
Over the past three decades, Collishaw has explored the nature of the human subconscious and the ways it can be influenced through diverse media. Using optical illusions, paintings, projections, and kinetic sculptures, he creates works that act directly on the viewer, often on an unconscious level. Beneath the visual richness of his art lies a profound reflection on how we perceive and are shaped by the world today through images and modern technologies.
Illusion and desire are central themes in Collishaw’s work. Through them he questions and disrupts conventional perception of familiar imagery, analyzing the impact of hidden mechanisms and visual techniques on the subconscious. His art highlights the fragile balance between poetic romanticism and dark, unsettling illusionism. The forbidden, the repressed, and the concealed have always been at the core of his investigations.
Collishaw often turns to the legacy of the old masters. Many of his works contain references to historical subjects and employ classical techniques of depicting nature characteristic of past eras. Borrowed images are digitally processed and reinterpreted, creating new dialogues between representation and reality.
His fascination with the Victorian era is especially significant. In the 19th century, Britain positioned itself as a leader of scientific progress and empirical rationality. By referencing this period, Collishaw not only evokes its ornamental, romantic style but also exposes its hidden side, where primal instincts remain constant regardless of time, aesthetics, or science. This interest also extends to the early Victorian techniques of optical illusion. Through spectral projections, experimental photography, and zoetropes invented at the dawn of the era, Collishaw recreates effects that once formed the basis of pre-cinematic animation.
“My desire is to show the viewer how the time in which we live affects our perception of the world around us. These days, it’s difficult to slow down and absorb imagery of the past. Over time, our perception of paintings changes, not only because they become iconic, but because the media around us has totally changed. We don’t generally stand around looking at a picture that’s not moving, because it’s not that interesting compared to what else is on offer. I’m trying to reintroduce the concept of time to these works, to prompt the viewer to look at each of them a little longer and thus immerse themselves in the history of each picture.”
Mat Collishaw’s works have been exhibited in numerous museums and are represented in many public and private collections globally, including:
Tate (London, UK)
Somerset House (London, UK)
Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery (Birmingham, UK)
Galleria Borghese (Rome, Italy)
Pino Pascali Museum Foundation (Polignano a Mare, Italy)
Bass Museum of Art (Miami, USA)
The Brooklyn Museum (New York, USA)
Museo di Roma (Rome, Italy)
Centre Georges Pompidou (Paris, France)
Museum of Old and New Art (New South Wales, Australia)
Olbricht Collection (Berlin, Germany)
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Works
Mat Collishaw Nottingham, UK, b. 1966
Alluvion V, 2024Jacquard Loom Tapestry166,5 x 140 cm“Flowers have those beautiful shapes we love to look at, but the reason behind their beauty is attracting butterflies and other insects for the purpose of disseminating pollen. So, flowers...“Flowers have those beautiful shapes we love to look at, but the reason behind their beauty is attracting butterflies and other insects for the purpose of disseminating pollen. So, flowers manipulate others with their striking physical appearance. Their beauty therefore exists for solely egoistical reasons in fact, and I find this rather fascinating.” – Mat Collishaw
In his latest – Alluvion – series Mat Collishaw explores the intersection of nature’s evolutionary processes and artificial intelligence, examining how life’s instincts and behaviors can be manipulated. Building on his earlier explorations of the “evolutionary arms race” — the cycle of behaviors driving survival and reproduction — Collishaw focuses on AI’s potential to simulate and accelerate these patterns. His new tapestry works redefine floral forms, hybridizing species and evolving their digital DNA into increasingly complex and imaginative creations.
With Alluvion, Collishaw reinvents a centuries-old art form for the digital age, masterfully crafting an immersive and thought-provoking body of work that challenges perceptions of authenticity, craftsmanship, and technology’s evolving role in art. By blending AI with the historic jacquard weaving process, he not only reimagines floral and illusionary forms but also questions the very nature of digital creation and its relationship to human artistry.
“Nature and art history are two themes that have been present in my work for over 20 years. I’ve drawn from them to explore how we create images of the world around us and the way those images influence or change the way we see the world.” – Mat Collishaw
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Tatintsian Gallery Selected
Group Exhibition, Dubai 14 Nov - 30 Dec 2022Tatintsian Selected project opens alongside two Dubai landmark events in fall 2022 – Alserkal Art Week and Dubai Design Week.Read more >
Gallery showroom will spotlight selected works by such contemporary masters as Ron Arad, George Condo, Mat Collishaw, Evgeny Chubarov, Peter Halley, John Miller and Jenny Holzer. -
Mat Collishaw. The Machine Zone
Personal Exhibition, Dubai 27 Sep - 30 Dec 2022Mat Collishaw is one of the most significant and compelling artists in contemporary British art. With an early foundation at Goldsmiths College, Collishaw formed part of the legendary movement of...Read more > -
Mat Collishaw. The Machine Zone
Personal Exhibition 25 Feb - 25 Jun 2022Read more > -
Mat Collishaw. Albion
Personal Exhibition 2 Feb - 2 Jun 2018Read more >
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