About:​

Matty is a London-based artist originally from Teesside. ​His work is a critique of the methods of

control used to dominate and exploit workers, particularly in Western politics on behalf of the

controlling class of Anglo-American elites. He also draws on Antonio Gramsci’s concept of

"common sense" a hegemonic ideology that frames success as the result of individual hard work -

while ignoring systemic inequalities related to race, gender, physical ability, and the obvious

advantages presented to those born with existing wealth. 

On the whole, his work challenges the global economic system that thrives on division, where

power feels increasingly abstract and collective resistance is undermined. In this fractured

landscape, the working class is often turned inward, competing with one another rather than

confronting those in power.

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Matty's artistic output situates somewhere within the expanded field of printmaking,

frequently incorporating elements of print, sculpture, painting, and found materials. In Regime Change, a recent large-scale painting, he constructed what he describes as an "anti-billboard", made from OSB panels layered with gestural acrylic and spray paint, collaged with torn billboard paper, posters, and archival material sourced from interviews and independent media. He then printed imagery and text onto the surface before additional layers were added, and shredded New York Times pages were cast onto the work to represent the censorship and suppression of inconvenient information.

Matty's visual inspiration is drawn from his surroundings; decaying walls, billboards and streets accompanied by old withered posters and graffitied marks and phrases. In these remnants, he finds a visceral aesthetic of fatigue and erosion that mirrors the lived experiences of the working class, locked in a lifelong sentence of labour and struggle.​​

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Before studying BA Fine Art at Teesside University, Matty completed an apprenticeship in fabrication and welding and worked as a fabricator for five years in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham. After graduating from Teesside, he went on to complete a master’s degree in Printmaking at Camberwell College of Arts in 2023. During his time at Camberwell, his work Spent and Consumed was acquired by the UAL Archives and Special Collections Centre and upon graduation, he was awarded a fellowship in digital printmaking for the following year. He currently works as a printer at Thumbprint Editions, where he works with intaglio and relief methods to edition prints. Matty is also part of Critical Edge Collective; a group of artists working together with a focus on transparency, innovation, and collaboration and has exhibited with them since January 2024. 

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Contact:​​

Email: m.j.emery94@gmail.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/mattyemery/

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Education:

MA Fine Art: Printmaking – Distinction/First (A), Camberwell UAL (2022-2023)

BA Fine Art – First Class Honours Degree, Teesside University (2019-2022)

Level 3 Diploma in Fabrication and Welding –Merit - SWDT Training (2014-2017)

 

Awards:

John Purcell Paper Award - Camberwell College of Arts Degree Show (2023)

Nominated for the Clifford Chance Postgraduate Printmakers Award (2023)

Nominated for The Freeland’s Painting Prize (2023)

Awarded a fellowship in digital printmaking at Camberwell College of Arts (2024)

Artwork (Spent and Consumed) acquired by UAL Archives (2023)

 

Exhibited at:

Critical Edge 5 - ASC Handbag Factory, Vauxhall (London 2025)

From the Ground Up - Lewisham Arthouse, New Cross (London 2024)

"and you would have to believe it" - Copeland Gallery, Peckham (London 2024) 

What We Bring to the Table - Safehouse Peckham (London 2024)

Royal Birmingham Society of Arts Print Prize - RBSA Gallery (Birmingham 2024) 

Clifford Chance Postgraduate Printmaker’s Awards - Clifford Chance, Canary Wharf (London 2023)

Making Conversation - APT Gallery, Deptford (London 2023) 

Small but Mighty, Royal Society of Printmakers, Bankside Gallery, Southwark (London 2023) 

Synchronize. Wilson Rd, Camberwell College of Arts, Peckham (London 2023)
MA Fine Art SHOW Camberwell College of Arts, Peckham (London 2023)

Pineapple Black Summer Show - Pineapple Black Gallery (Middlesbrough 2023) 

Woolwich Director’s Cut (2023) 

Spectrum - Bargehouse OXO Tower Wharf, Southbank (London 2023)

Forces of The Small - Filet Gallery, Hoxton (London 2023)

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Featured in:

Printmaking Today Winter - Issue 128

Artists Responding To - Issue 8

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