Matkovsky Dmitri

Dmitry Matkovski is the artist who gives particular attention to the psychological phenomenon of synesthesia. It is a certain kind of perception when stimulation of one sensory leads to additional involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway. It paves the way for the development of a «joint feeling», actually this is the exact translation of the above-mentioned Greek term. For example, some artists relying on synesthesia, clearly know, that the letter «A» is green and the number «15» tastes like chocolate. Dmitry Matkovski, in his turn, «has an ear for colors». He interprets sounds through color and calls his artworks «music on canvas».

Dmitry found out that his perception of reality was quite special at an early age: when he was a child, he attended a music school, later he played in a band called «The Manufactory» (rus. «Мануфактура»), winning a festival, organized by the Leningrad Rock Club. Then Dmitry joined «Auktyon» (rus. «АукцЫон») for quite a long period of time, however even the iconic status of the band and public recognition didn`t fully satisfy his ambitions.

The compulsive feeling of «color» and crucial contacts with Gerhard Richter shifted Dmitry`s field of activity. In 1990`s he moved to Germany and spent the whole summer working as the famous artist`s assistant. He involuntarily fell under the influence of abstract impressionism. According to Dmitry, during that period he realized the features of his perception of art, the unity of music and color.

Dmitry Matkovski continued to study fine arts in Canada. He emphasizes the critical role of his godfather Alexey Khvorostenko and St. Petersburg watercolorist Viktor Proshkin, both of them were his fine arts teachers in succeeding years. They taught Dmitry how to express his subjective perception of reality using various forms of art rather than how to use formal techniques.  

«Due to my art priorities I also developed a profound interest to yoga and meditation, these practices equated the beauty of the external world and the inner life. The artist`s paintings represent his inner life and the private world of every person is absolutely magnificent, this is what I want to express. But please, don`t ask me any questions about the content of particular pictures. Fine arts are just like music: pictures express everything and nothing at the same time» Только не спрашивайте меня о содержании той или иной картины, ведь живопись как музыка, обо всем и ни о чем одновременно», - this is how Dmitry describes his uncommon style.

Dmitry Matkovski`s spiritual practices gradually formed the basic concept of his pictures: «Silence is the best kind of music, seeing a blank canvass is the best moment of painting a picture». Following this principle, Dmitry painted a series of aerial sketches and later used them while working on large-scale pictures. These artworks became his «trademark» during the life in Toronto.

At the moment Dmitry Matkovski is an artist and a publicist, he also continues to practice yoga and play musical instruments.