Mateo Revillo, born in Spain in 1993 and currently based in Paris, creates a body of work that explores the concept of long-lasting forms. His practice spans across painting, sculpture, and various other mediums, including architectural and land interventions. His work invite a perspective on life, art-making, and exhibition as a continuous, evolving process—one that can be reimagined, much like how humanity has engaged with certain elements for millennia.

Revillo draws from contemporary abstraction as well as the art and cultures of other periods and civilizations. Despite this historical influence, his work reflects a raw, urgent energy, capturing the intensity of the modern world. The materials and surfaces he uses convey a sense of vitality and depth, blending the immediate with the ancient. His approach is akin to that of a future archaeologist, where drawing, painting, sculpting, breaking, recomposing, and transforming all play a part in constructing a multifaceted narrative. With a subtle baroque influence, Revillo's works create scenarios that navigate between precise architecture and expansive, open environments. These pieces act as gateways to archaeological digs where ruins, not yet part of any defined history, are waiting to be uncovered.

Over the past decade, Revillo has developed signature artifact-paintings that resemble architectural fragments or accidents. These pieces—composed of lime-like surfaces—unfold like the wings of a polyptych, drawing connections between ancient frescoes and the disruption of the rectangular canvas, an idea explored by early Minimalists. They evoke the feeling of wall gaps, remnants from an indeterminate time, or glitches in photographs, echoing the interventions of artists like Gordon Matta-Clark.

Through these works, Revillo creates an atmosphere suspended in a time that isn't quite defined but may be. In the words of Walter Benjamin, "Each era dreams of the next," and the "shards" in his artifact-paintings embody this notion, presenting a world full of infinite possibilities. The interruption and rupture in his work aren’t endings, but rather transitions that open up various paths—some gentle and peaceful, others more aggressive or even violent, much like the Mediterranean basin that profoundly influences his art.

With a background in social sciences, Revillo brings an anthropological perspective to his artistic practice, viewing art as an artifact and a means of expression. His commitment to this idea extends beyond his individual work, having founded the exhibition-oriented research group La Méditerranée in 2020. Through this initiative, he further merges architectural and curatorial endeavors with his artistic vision, creating a platform for the exploration of cultural, historical, and social narratives.

Teatro, 2024 Encaustic and casein paint on cement and plasterboard, wood.

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Artists

Mateo Revillo

Mateo Revillo