Neo Matloga

Neo Matloga is a versatile artist who masterfully employs drawing, painting, and collage techniques to create impressive large-scale mixed media artworks on paper and canvas.

Biography of Neo Matloga

Neo Matloga is a contemporary artist born in 1993 in Mamaila, a small town located in the Limpopo province of South Africa. He pursued his studies in Visual Art at the University of Johannesburg and participated in a residency program at De Ateliers in Amsterdam, where he dedicated himself to refining his painting skills.

Over the years, Neo Matloga has been involved in several artist residencies, including Foundation AVL Mundo in Rotterdam (2019), Thami Mnyele Foundation in Amsterdam (2018), Zeitz MOCAA in Segera, Laikipia, Kenya (2018), and The Bag Factory in Johannesburg (2015).

In 2018, Matloga was honored with the prestigious Koninklijke Prijs voor Vrije Schilderkunst (Royal Award for Modern Painting in the Netherlands). He was also a nominee for the De Volkskrant Beeldende Kunstprijs in 2019 and was shortlisted for the 2015 Taxi Art Award.

He has showcased his works in various solo and group exhibitions worldwide. Some of his notable solo shows include "Good Morning Midnight" at De Ateliers in Amsterdam, Netherlands (2018); "Molatelo" at SCOPE Art Fair in New York, NY, USA (2017), and "Moo re tswang gona" at the FNB Joburg Art Fair in Johannesburg, South Africa (2016).

Neo Matloga's Art Style

Neo Matloga is a versatile artist who masterfully employs drawing, painting, and collage techniques to create impressive large-scale mixed media artworks on paper and canvas. His pieces are centered around domestic scenes, delicately capturing cherished memories from the artist's childhood and serving as a meditation on the therapeutic properties of family and home. His artistic practice presents fragments of joy and unity amidst adversity, while also highlighting the newfound optimism that emerged during the post-Apartheid era—a time of hope for a democratic future.

The artist creates hybrid characters by collaging photographic images of friends, family, and renowned South African figures from politics and the arts. The resultant faces are surreal, boasting oversized features and mismatched elements. Matloga employs cutting, reconfiguring, and collaging facial features to delve into themes of identity, politics, and the intricate nature of racial prejudice.