Matthew Ricci (b. 1998, South Australia) is a Berlin-based painter whose expressionist, abstracted figures hover between vulnerability and defiance. With a background in mathematical sciences, Ricci confronts the dominance of logic by surrendering to the subconscious, allowing form, gesture, and instinct to dictate composition. His practice reclaims intuition as a legitimate way of knowing in an era increasingly defined by algorithmic thinking.

 

Working primarily in oil and soft pastel, Ricci draws influence from early 20th-century expressionism and the psychological charge of artists like Marlene Dumas. His figures often appear suspended, fractured, or contorted, embodying themes of eroticism, isolation, and existential uncertainty. Rather than illustrating ideas, Ricci treats painting as an act of divination: a visual trace of human presence that emerges in real time, unfiltered.

 

Recent works explore how the fragmented figure can serve as both mirror and mirage, reflecting our paradoxical desire to connect and retreat. Ricci’s paintings have been recognised internationally, including at the London Art Biennale. He currently lives and works in Berlin, where he is developing a new body of work rooted in psychic process and formal tension.

 

Education:

• Bachelor of Economics (Advanced), Adelaide University (2021)

• Bachelor of Mathematical Sciences, Adelaide University (2021)

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Group Exhibitions:​

• Maremoto by Peninsula group, Berlin (2025)

• Waverley Art Prize, Sydney (2025)

• London Biennale,  Chelsea Town Hall, (2025)

• BAAM (Curated), Berlin art fair, (2024).

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Solo Exhibitions:

• CURATED Presents Matthew Ricci, An Afternoon of Live Drawing, (2023).

• Matthew Ricci at Unkompress, Berlin Vernissage, (2024).

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Prizes & Awards:​

• Recipient of the Chianciano Art Museum Award at the London Biennale (2025)

• Finalist Waverley Art Prize, Sydney (2025)

• Finalist Jackson Art Prize (2025)

 

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