Mat Collishaw
art of our time
‘His art is lovely and vile. It is an art of our time and it hits true’
Mat Collishaw is a leading figure in contemporary British art who emerged in the 1980s with the Young British Artists and has since gained international recognition. His work explores themes of mortality, beauty, environmental damage and humanity’s relationship with nature and technology, combining visceral impact with conceptual depth across film, sculpture, photography, sound and installation. He creates immersive environments in which classical music plays a central role, functioning as a structural element rather than accompaniment, whether in soundscapes or live performance. Recent works include Inferno (based on Liszt’s Dante Symphony), Sky Burial (Fauré’s Requiem) and Aftermaths (Arvo Pärt’s Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten). His work is held in major collections and shown internationally.
‘When you’re in a concert hall with an 80-piece orchestra and a 60-piece choir, it’s so powerful. If I can create something on top of that, which takes people to another place, I hope it might make classical music more inviting for people who wouldn’t normally go’
