Adnate

Adnate / Matt Adnate

Urban Art

February 28, 2014

Australian artist Adnate is best known for his large-scale portraits of indigenous faces. Large in size, his murals are inspired by the artist’s roots in street art and elevate them to the fine art realm. Inspired by the masters of old, Adnate, through his work, wishes to give back to a community with a long and rich history. Thus, he always works with a cultural advisor or an elder to ensure that he is conscious of the sensibilities underpinning his art. Throughout his career, he has worked all over the world, and today his murals can be seen on the walls in Toulouse, Berlin, and New York.

Between Street And Fine Art

Matt Adnate was born in 1984 in Montrose, Australia. He expressed interest in art from a young age and would draw tags all over his bed. The self-taught artist found work immediately upon graduating from school. His first major commission was a real estate agency that wanted a large mural on the wall of its premises. Upon the successful complication of the piece, more work came pouring in as his name was shared among various businesses. While searching for ways to grow as an artist, Adnate decided in 2007 to move to Spain. For several years he lived in Barcelona, the capital of street art, where he immersed himself in the medium. In 2006 he became a member of the renowned art collective A Way Of Life (AWOL). Together they drew numerous large-scale works all over the Melbourne suburbs.

Indigenous Communities Of The World

As he traveled, learning his craft and collaborating on interesting projects, Adnate met the people from Indigenous communities and heard first-hand stories of loss and survival. It inspired him to use his art to give back to communities by telling their feelings, stories, and ultimately about their rightful claim to the land. Much work goes into one of his pieces, as he always consults elders of the community so that his art can convey the truth.  

Adnate draws inspiration from renaissance masters such as Caravaggio, especially his signature chiaroscuro technique. The spray-painted portraits are surrounded by colors that enhance the beauty and realism of his subjects. One of the largest projects the artist has ever done was a commission by the Victorian State Government to paint a 20-story building in Collingwood in 2018. The colossal mural featured the faces of 4 building residences and was met with a lot of support from the community.

Adnate’s Exhibitions and Commissions

One of the first group exhibitions Adnate participated in was in 2006 at Panic Gallery in Melbourne. Since then, he has had numerous solo exhibitions, including Tomorrow’s Past (2017) at Nanda/Hobbs Gallery in Sydney, Always Been Here (2016) at Metro Gallery in Melbourne, and in 2015 the exhibition Into The Sun at Art Equity/Nanda Hobbs Gallery. Some of his commissioned works include a mural Gunditjmara community on Heywood Water Tower (2021) and the Commissioned mural for the City of Wodonga.

Adnate lives and works in Melbourne.

Featured image: Photo of Adnate. Courtesy of the artist. 

Download W.News app today and read everything you need to know about the art world on the go
button
Can We Help?

Have a question or a technical issue? Want to learn more about our services to art dealers? Let us know and you'll hear from us within the next 24 hours.