MATTI SIRVIO: Green Pastures
MATTI SIRVIO
The Green Pastures
Curated by Stefania Carrozzini
Opening Reception: Wednesday September 18, 2024
From 6 to 8 PM
From September 18 to October 3, 2024
Via Giovanni Boccaccio 24
20123 Milano
Mymicrogallery is pleased to present, from September 18 to October 3, “The Green Pastures”, the first solo exhibition in Italy by Finnish artist Matti Sirvio. It consists of twelve abstract works executed in oil on canvas, large in size, inspired by the biblical Psalms and the question of the representation of the divine. The narrative development of his works unfolds through a pictorial language based on color and signs such as mnemonic traces, ancient symbols that represent the search for truth, the path of life and the encounter with the divine. The artist explores the concept of the “visible invisible,” a theme that plays with the duality of what can be physically perceived and what escapes sight, but is felt or intuited spiritually. The Psalms, with their deep and meditative lyricism, reflect this tension between the tangible and intangible presence of God. Matti Sirvio’s works are a crossroads, a synthesis between geometric and organic forms that emerge from an indefinite background, as if they were in continuous movement between light and shadow, as a symbol of the divine presence that illuminates without being directly perceptible.
They are a combination of forms suspended in ethereal space that recall natural elements often mentioned in the Psalms with oscillations between dark tones in contrast to the light and intense shades of green, fresh, vibrant and meditative. Water, a symbol of purification and renewal, the earth and the mountains as a symbol of majesty and stability, hints of ancient writings, signs that recall flowers and plants, symbols of beauty and fragility until everything becomes sky, a symbol of infinity.
The titles chosen from the 150 psalms reveal the desire to offer a contemplative and spiritual experience, inviting the observer to reflect on the mystery of the divine presence which, as in the Psalms, is deeply felt, but never fully grasped.Matti Sirvio’s research has moved since his artistic debut along the path of abstraction, the most immediate and direct one that allows him to express and communicate the essence of the soul’s movements, encountering the biblical message, giving it greater inspirational force. For Matti Sirvio, the Bible is an inexhaustible creative source. His work becomes a bridge between the material and immaterial worlds, a way to express the infinite, the eternal and the mystery of God.
Matti Sirvio, was born in 1956 in Sotkamo, Finland. From 2006 to 2012 he was working in Istanbul, Turkey. From 2013 to 2024 he has lived in Muscat, Oman. Encouraged by his time in Savonlinnan Taidelukio, which at that time was the only high school specialized in Fine Arts in Finland, he made in his youth preparations to study Art Therapy in England.A call to humanitarian work redirected his way Eastward. For the following twenty-five years Sirvio worked with humanitarian church work from Sweden and Hungary and among the Turkic nations in the former Soviet Union. After the Soviet experience he lived in Sweden, Hungary, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Turkey. He travelled extensively all over Central-Asia from Turkey to China. After moving to Istanbul, he picked up his passion for painting again. The bright and strong colors of Central Asia and the Caucasus had captivated his soul. Sirvio’s style is Semi-abstract Expressionism. They reflect his impressions from the Orient and the North. He is a colorist. Bold combination of cold and warm colors communicates an interesting message that leads the spectator to consider the fundamental questions of our very existence. The tapestry of the cultures and religions of the Middle-East touches the current issues with symbols and joyful details. During the past years Sirvio has had exhibitions in Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Azerbaijan, Turkey, England, Russia, Oman, Austria and Finland. For the past ten years Sirvio has worked and lived in Muscat, Oman, where he runs a gallery with his name Matti Sirvio Art Galleria. He lives and works in Muscat, Oman. He has been exhibiting since 2007. His works are in private collections in Finland, USA, Europe, South Korea, India, China, Eurasia, the Mena Region and the Arab States of the Persian Gulf.