We love it when local folks go nuclear with their talents. Today, we’re celebrating Cardiff-based contemporary artist Matthew Evans (SnowSkull), whose art plays a central role in the upcoming season of the popular series Alex Rider.
To see the artwork in Alex Rider, flick to the episode ‘Widow’, where Wells Cathedral is transformed into a fictional art museum named “Sacred and Macabre.” SnowSkull’s art is displayed in a large framed lightboxes and with a dynamic projection onto the cathedral’s facade.
The project began when production designer Tim Dickel reached out to SnowSkull with a vision to incorporate his “NoMansLand” project into the series. Over several months, SnowSkull and Dickel exchanged ideas and developed artwork specifically commissioned for the series.
Maesteg-born SnowSkull, a Goldsmiths graduate, has previously had his work featured in international exhibitions and prestigious publications like The Guardian and Vice. His diverse portfolio spans video, music, and mixed media, and his pieces are held in private collections across the UK, Europe, and America. We hassled him relentlessly for a chat (thank you Mevs!!)
What else are you working on at the moment?
‘NoMansLand – Re-constructions of the Artist as a Young Human’ is an ongoing project, so there will be lots more coming from that. I’m also particularly happy with what I have been working on for the past year with a multi-instrumentalist and composer, Josh Hill, also known as The Hillside Project. He recorded a beautiful album and gave me full artistic freedom to create a visual concept and world for the album, the singles, and reworks album. Inspired by philosopher Henri Bergson, the work portrays memory as dynamic, not passive. The painting depicts a fusion of a human and reservoir, symbolising transformation. Collages from a previous project represent the constant flow and evolution of memories.
Any art project plans for the immediate future?
I’ve been working closely with long-time collaborators and Welsh electronic duo Bodhi, working on the artwork for their releases on the Hotflush record label. I’m also slowly putting together a new body of work that consists entirely of paintings, taking a more physical approach in contrast to my digital work. Going back to my roots so to speak.
If you could paint a mural or do an art installation anywhere in Cardiff, what would you do and what would it be?
That’s a fun question! There are many interesting spots in Cardiff. The project revolves around themes such as, pop art, portraiture, reconstruction, deconstruction, Xiennial micro-generation, AI, and the intersection of art and technology. Although not religiously themed, at the installation in Wells, I particularly enjoyed the contrast between the cathedral and the digital light box sculptures, embracing the juxtaposition of old and new, digital and analogue. Aesthetically I have a fondness for the vast space around the barrage/docks down Cardiff Bay and would love to see an installation overlooking the water. And somewhere like Techniquest holds nostalgic significance, reflecting the project’s inspiration from the Xiennial microgeneration.
Thank you SnowSkull!
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