In Matthias Garcia’s works, nature and humanity intertwine into blooming, jubilant landscapes. In his worlds on the fringes of reality, lascivious nymphs cohabit with two-headed mermaids, flowers adopt cherubic faces, and discreet figures wander among the climbing plants. His ephemeral figures melt into luxuriant vegetation, where darkened colors are awakened by bright pigments. Stylistically, Matthias Garcia’s paintings evoke surreal, psychedelic landscapes. References to art history - whether to Francisco Goya, Odilon Redon or Jérôme Bosch - merge with those to popular culture, such as Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale ‘The Little Mermaid’, manga culture and video games.
Garcia construct bodies of work with a narrative approach, often resembling fairy tales. Existing stories become starting points rather than fixed texts. By either continuing them or shifting their meaning, the artist adopts the role of an oral storyteller who transforms the original tale through their own vocabulary and personal prism.
Matthias Garcia (b. 1994, Paris, France) lives and works in Paris. He received his MFA in 2020 from the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Paris. A selection of recent exhibitions includes Ame no urame, w. Kaito Itsuki, EFAG, Tokyo, Japan (2024); Naive Parade, Sebastian Gladstone, Los Angeles, USA (2023); Mon chant sans sort, Sultana, Paris (2023). He has also been included in group shows at Musée cantonal des Beaux-Arts, Lausanne, Switzerland; Galerie Sébastien Lepeuve, Clichy, France; Collection Agnès B., Paris, France; Nicodim Gallery, Los Angeles, USA amongst others. He attended two formative residencies: Therapeia Artist Residency, Paxos, Greece (2025); Artist residency Numanohashi, Tokyo, Japan (2024-25).