Matteo Baroni was born in Florence, Italy, in 1977, and he creates powerful sculptures from scrap metal. His work revolves around recycling discarded materials, but he does not follow the usual found-object trends. Instead, he carefully bends and twists metal pieces to make life-size human figures.
He held his first exhibition in London at Thomas Williams Fine Art in 2009. His sculptures show an astonishing achievement of balance, with even the largest pieces standing perfectly without support. He works counter to the accepted trends in contemporary sculpture, which often depends on chance and conceptual ideas.
He transforms crude and abandoned material into works of vision. Fragments of copper sheet are welded onto iron frameworks, with surfaces ranging from rust-covered to more finished states. Scorch-marks from the welding add to the pathos and humanity of the figures, as if alluding to the paint of the human condition.
“Fragments of copper sheet are welded onto an iron framework. The surface of the metal varies from the untouched rust-covered state in which they are found to the more finished condition that has developed as much from the accident of handling as by design.”
His work is a testament to his ability to find beauty in discarded materials. He makes a virtue of transforming what others throw away into powerful representations of the human form. His sculptures are both technically impressive and deeply emotional.
Q: What defines Matteo Baroni’s sculptural style?
A: His ability to transform scrap metal into powerful, life-size human figures through careful bending and welding. He achieves remarkable balance and emotional depth, standing against contemporary trends by making art from discarded materials.