Apparently lighthearted and playful, Luís Lázaro Matos’ works actually investigate complex dynamics dealing with current social and philosophical constructions shaping contemporary forms of narrative. In his lush and colourful graphic figurations humor and drama coexist, opening up discourses which allude to both intimate and social dynamics, often dealing with identity politics and queerness. As metaphorical portraits of today’s communal aesthetic, imbued with his personal experiences as a digital native, Luís Lázaro Matos’ works reveal shared emotional images.
Luís Lázaro Matos was born in 1987 in Évora, Portugal. He lives and works between Lisbon and Brussels.
He obtained the degree in Painting from Faculty of Fine Arts of Lisbon University in 2010, and the BA in Art Practice at Goldsmiths College, London, in 2011. Recent solo exhibitions include: Hotel Dodo, Kunstverein Braunschweig, Braunschweig (2023); Une vague joyeuse/Uma onda feliz, BoCA, Faro (2021); Seabed Monsters and the Cosmic Rays, Galeria Madragoa, Lisbon (2021); Waves and Whirlpools, Galeria Municipal do Porto (2020); Summer Waterfalls & Autumn Leaves, Beursschouwburg, Brussels (2019); Zoo, Casa da Cerca, Almada (2019): Notes on Cosmic Pluralism, 1646, Den Haag (2019); Dancing Followers, Combo, Milan (2019); WHITE SHARK CAFE, Bastide Projects, Marseille (2018); Tomber dans le lac, Galeria Madragoa, Lisbon (2018); SMILE YOU ARE IN SPAIN STUDIO PART I, Galeria Madragoa, Lisbon (2017); Super Gibraltar, Kunsthalle Lissabon, Lisbon (2015).
Selected group exhibitions include: Garganta, Centro de Artes José de Guimarães, Guimarães (2022); ARS22, Kiasma Finnish National Gallery, Helsinki (2022); Mesclado, The Cera Project, Espaço Espelho d’Água, Lisbon (2020); A Terceira Imagem. Bienal Ano Zero, Coimbra (2019); There’ll Never Be a Door. You're Inside - Works from the Coleção Teixeira de Freitas, Sala de Arte Santander, Fundación Santander, Madrid (2019); Cave Myths (Endless Spelunking) Quatzal Art Centre, Vila de Frades (2019); Haus Wittgenstein: Art Architecture & Philosophy, MAAT, Lisbon (2018); Untitled (HowDoes it Feel) Walk & Talk Azores (2018); Artist’s Film International, MAAT, Lisbon / Whitechapel Gallery, London (2017); 10000 anos depois entre Vénus e Marte, Galeria Municipal do Porto (2017); Tão Alto Quanto os Olhos Alcançam, Forum Eugénio de Almeida, Évora (2015).
In 2013, Lázaro Matos was shortlisted for the Premio EDP Novos Artistas. In 2019, he was awarded the On Demand Prize at Miart 2019 for his project The Fictional Passengers.
Luís Lázaro Matos Re-Imagines The Legacy Of The Fairytale King, Frieze, 2018
Filipa Oliveira on Luís Lázaro Matos' Voyage to Papua New Guinea, MADRAzine #2, March 2017
Luís Lázaro Matos on Seabed Monsters and The Cosmic Rays, Madragoa, 2021
Luís Lázaro Matos on Summer Waterfalls & Autumn Leaves, beursschouwburg, 2019
Installation view at Madragoa, Lisbon, Portugal
September 13th - November 4th 2023
Installation view at Madragoa, Lisbon, Portugal
September 13th - November 4th 2023
Installation view at Madragoa, Lisbon, Portugal
September 13th - November 4th 2023
Shhh!
Installation view at Art|Basel Parcours, at Kunstmuseum Library, Basel, Switzerland
June 12th - 18th 2023
Shhh!
Installation view at Art|Basel Parcours, at Kunstmuseum Library, Basel, Switzerland
June 12th - 18th 2023
Hotel Dodo
Installation view at Kunstverein Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
March 10th - May 21st 2023
Hotel Dodo
Installation view at Kunstverein Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
March 10th - May 21st 2023
Hotel Dodo
Installation view at Kunstverein Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
March 10th - May 21st 2023
Clubbers
Installation view at Magic Megève, Megève, France
Installation view at Magic Megève, Megève, France
Garganta
Installation view at CIAJG Guimarães, Guimarães, Portugal
May 7th - September 18th, 2022
Coconut Cult Cosmic Island
Installation view at Hermès Cannes, Cannes, France
May 2022
ARS22
Installation view at Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma - Finnish National Gallery, Helsinki, Finland
April 8th - October 10th, 2022
Installation view at Artissima 2021, Turin, Italy
November 5th - November 7th, 2021
Une vague joyeuse/Uma onda feliz
Installation view at BoCA – Biennial of Contemporary Arts, Faro, Portugal
September 3rd - October 17th, 2021
Une vague joyeuse/Uma onda feliz
Installation view at BoCA – Biennial of Contemporary Arts, Faro, Portugal
September 3rd - October 17th, 2021
Seabed Monsters and the Cosmic Rays
Installation view at Galeria Madragoa, Lisbon, Portugal
May 28th - July 30th, 2021
Waves and Whirlpools
Installation view at Galeria Municipal do Porto, Porto, Portugal
September 19th - November 15th, 2020
Waves and Whirlpools
Installation view at Galeria Municipal do Porto, Porto, Portugal
September 19th - November 15th, 2020
Eclipse – Interstellar Journey to the English Countryside
Installation view at The Third Bank, Bienal Ano Zero ‘19, Coimbra, Portugal
November 2nd - December 29th, 2019
Dancing Followers
Installation view at Combo, Milan, Italy
September 29th - December 31st, 2019
Summer Waterfalls & Autumn Leaves
Installation view at Beursschouwburg, Brussel, Belgium
September 20th - December 14th, 2019
Zoo
Installation view at Casa da Cerca, Almada, Portugal
June 14th - October 20th, 2019
Notes on Cosmic Pluralism
Installation view at 1646, The Hague, The Netherlands
May 3rd - June 2nd, 2019
White Shark Cafe
Installation view at Bastide Projects, Marseille
November 23rd, 2018 - February 16th, 2019
A Pool of Lava
Walk & Talk Azores, São Miguel, Portugal
2018
Installation view at Galeria Madragoa, Lisbon, Portugal
May 16th - July 21st, 2018
Installation view at Galeria Madragoa, Lisbon, Portugal
May 16th— July 21st, 2018
10000 anos depois entre Vénus e Marte
Installation view at Galeria Municipal do Porto, Porto, Portugal
December 9th, 2017 - February 18th, 2018
The Nomadic City of Camela
Installation view at MAAT, Lisbon, Portugal
2017
The Green Ray (18th and 19th-century British military garments)
Installation view at LISTE, Madragoa booth 2/5/1, Basel, Switzerland,
June 13th -18th, 2017
SMILE YOU ARE IN SPAIN STUDIO PART II
Installation view at ARCOmadrid, Madragoa booth 9OP15, Madrid, Spain
February 22nd - 26th, 2017
SMILE YOU ARE IN SPAIN STUDIO PART I
Installation view at Madragoa, Lisbon, Portugal
January 28th - March 11th, 2017
SMILE YOU ARE IN SPAIN STUDIO PART I
Installation view at Madragoa, Lisbon, Portugal
January 28th - March 11th, 2017
Super Gibraltar
Installation view at Kunsthalle Lissabon, Lisbon, Portugal
October 16th - December 19th, 2015
COLECTIVA - 10th Edition of the prize Prémio EDP Novos Artistas
Installation view at Galeria Fundação EDP, Porto, Portugal
December 13th - March 23th, 2014